Misamis Oriental 2nd District Rep. Juliette Uy has filed a bill at the Lower House that aims to ban the importation and exportation of wastes of whatever kind.
The lady solon is also hoping that President Rodrigo Duterte will certify her bill as urgent.
“I will also file other bills on plastic waste, waste redemption, waste recovery, and the proper management of our water and aquatic resources. This is an all-out war on waste because we want our country to be beautiful and prosperous,” Uy said in an emailed statement yesterday.
She said she will ask the House leadership to ask the President to certify House Bill 3461 as urgent.
“I am open to improvements of the bill. We can work out the details during the committee hearings.” Uy added.
She also asked the Bureau of Customs anew to make sure imported garbage does not arrive at any of the country’s international seaports aside from the Port of Tagoloan.
In the bill, Uy wants the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Finance and the Department of Transportation to jointly establish an Environmental Protection Desk at every port of entry and exit in the country to be manned 24 hours and seven days a week by competent and adequately trained personnel.
“Imported cargoes declared as waste or misdeclared to conceal the true waste cargo or smuggled into the country shall not be offloaded from any transport vessel and shall be immediately ordered by port authorities to depart from the port and return the illegal cargo to its port of origin, with all costs borne by the shipper,” Uy pointed out.
She said the bill draws lessons learned from the House investigation on the Verde Soko imported garbage sent to Misamis Oriental from South Korea.
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