Mindanaotoday.com | Medical facilities in Oro raise alarm on hazardous waste disposal
By: Franck Dick Rosete
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Various medical establishments in the city, including the Philippine Dental Association have expressed their concerns over difficulties in disposing their hazardous waste, said Councilor Roger Abaday, in his special report during the regular session of the city council here on Monday, Feb. 20.
“Galisod sila og labay sa ilang mga waste nila. Dili lang dental, kun dili hasta ang mga (They’re having a hard time disposing of their waste. Not just dental [clinics] but including) hospital; government and private hospitals,” said Abaday, the chairman of the committee on environment.
He said the medical establishments in Cagayan de Oro, according to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and City Local Environment and Natural Resources Office (CLENRO), would go to Davao or Cebu just to dispose of their waste.
The said councilor wanted to address the concern as he also received a report that there were hospitals that allegedly threw their waste in the sanitary landfill situated in Barangay Pagalungan in this city.
The said act is a clear violation of the city ordinance 13715-2019 that sets the rules on the proper handling, storage, collection, transport, treatment and disposal of hazardous wastes in the city.
Services that would help the medical establishments were emphasized during the special report of Abaday as the said establishments are paying their taxes and contributing revenue to the city.
Engr. Armen Cuenca, CLENRO head, said the disposing of hazardous waste, under the law, is the primary responsibility of the medical establishments, and the city government just provides assistance.
In 2019, the city government started the foundation of the hazardous waste facility in the Sanitary Landfill in Brgy. Pagalungan and it was finished in late 2020.
However, as of this writing, the said facility has yet to obtain the necessary permit from the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of DENR region 10 to operate the said facility, but the CLENRO asked for an exemption due to the problems encountered in the Northern Mindanao Medical Center (NMMC).
Cuenca said the facility only accepts hazardous waste from NMMC – a government hospital that is under the management of the Department of Health (DOH).
“We cannot cater to other hospitals except NMMC. Even the city hospital [city government-owned JR Borja General Hospital]. We requested if we could include the city hospital but they did not allow us,” Cuenca said in vernacular.
The local government is currently waiting to finish the wastewater treatment facilities that are under the supervision of the City Engineers Office to build in the entire sanitary landfill in Brgy. Pagalungan.
The said facility is the only lacking requirement before the city government can obtain the permit from EMB-DENR 10.
Cuenca said once they get the permit and the hazardous waste facility is fully ready, they can start accepting waste from all of the hospitals in Cagayan de Oro.
There was no timeline provided by the City Engineers Office to CLENRO as to when the wastewater treatment facilities will be finished but the CLENRO is continuously doing the follow ups.
The said special report of Abaday was referred to his committee on environment, as well as to the committee on health chaired by Councilor Maria Lourdes Gaane for the possible conduct of committee meetings together with the owners of medical establishments in this city for further discussions. (MT)
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