Bulatlat.com

DENR, Clark Authorities Warn:
Toxic Waste Issue Scaring Away Investors

Bulatlat.com efforts to probe deeper into the raging toxic waste issue in former US military bases drew some reactions from Clark and DENR authorities. The officials insisted that everything was being done to clean up the toxic-contaminated facilities but expressed concern that pushing too hard the demand for Washington to bear the burden would harm friendly relations between the two countries. Concerned environmentalist and scientist groups could not be immediately contacted for their side.

BY YNA SORIANO
Bulatlat.com

“Exaggerated” reports about the toxic wastes issue in Clark based on “subjective” complaints by some environmentalist groups are scaring away potential investors in Clark Special Economic Zone.

This was what government officials said in reaction to recent Bulatlat.com’s report that the government-owned Clark Development Corporation (CDC) denied the entry of some Filipino scientists for a study on alleged toxicity path in Clark.

The 4,400-hectare former United States airbase in Angeles City, Pampanga was being developed into an investment site since American forces abandoned the area in 1991 after the Mt. Pinatubo volcanic eruption.

Irritated

In an interview this week, Juan Miguel Fuentes, director of the Environmental Planning and Management Department of the Clark Development Corporation (CDC) said, “We’re not concealing alarming facts about the Clark toxic wastes” contrary to claims of some environmentalist groups.

“CDC is doing its job,” Fuentes continued.

He also criticized “exaggerated” reports about the toxic wastes issue in Clark adding that such reports undermine CDC’s efforts to make the former US airbase into an investment haven under the Special Economic Zone project.

The CDC director stressed recent gains in diplomatic talks with the US State Department claiming the latter has “committed financial and technical assistance” to various local environmental projects.

Related reports said that Vice President and concurrent Foreign Secretary Teofisto Guingona has reached an agreement with US State Secretary Colin Powell where the latter’s government agreed to extend financial assistance for Philippine “environmental projects.”

Although officially unspecified, “the money coming from the US government will be spent on further study and possible clean up of the contaminated sites in Clark among others,” said Fuentes.

“We cannot force the US government to particularly address the toxic wastes issue in its former military bases because as it declared earlier it has no legal obligation to do so,” he said. “But at least, it recognizes its moral responsibility to help our government clean up the area. That is already a gain.”

Two weeks ago, Bulatlat.com reported that a group of Filipino scientists from the Quezon City – based Samahan ng Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Sambayanan (Agham or Movement for the Advancement of Science and Technology for the People) which is supposed to conduct an environmental investigative mission was repeatedly denied entry by CDC to the Clark premises since April.

In recent years, about 100 mysterious deaths and 500 other cases of physical abnormalities and illnesses among folks including many children who have lived inside Clark have been attributed to the toxic waste contamination.

Because of the seriousness of the issue, the Philippine Senate has pending resolutions to declare the former US military facilities Clark Air Field and the Subic Naval Base in Olongapo City as “calamity areas.”

Clean up

Fuentes revealed that the CDC has a P5 million (US$0.09) budget allocated by the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA) for initial clean up activities in Clark. The 6-month clean-up was to begin last July.

He admitted however that the amount is small compared to the estimated total cost of P200 million ($3.92 million) needed for the “comprehensive remediation of the contaminated sites.”

First to be cleaned are the former Philippine Area Exchange and the Wagner Aviation Site, which are classified medium-risk spots in the 1997 baseline study commissioned by the CDC to the Weston International consultancy group. Bidding is ongoing for the said projects.

Understanding

Earlier, the CDC entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the United States Civil Engineering Research Foundation (CERF) for the clean up and environmental restoration of polluted and contaminated sites in Clark.

The CERF, which is based in Washington D.C., is the research arm of the US Organization of Civil Engineering Firms and has under its operation the Environmental Technology Verification Program.

Known fact

Debunking Agham’s claim that CDC dismisses the possibility of a worsening scenario, Fuentes argued that the CDC is in fact “open and supportive of all kinds of studies and assistance to determine the extent and magnitude of the problem.”

In a position paper, CDC stated: “It is a known fact that toxic and hazardous substances are used in the normal operations of military bases. These include fuels, oil, grease and lubricants, paints and solvents, pesticides and fertilizers, lead-acid batteries, and other commonly used hazardous chemicals. The use of these substances also lead to the generation of hazardous wastes and by-products such as sludge, used oil and spent cleaning agents, icluding old and empty containers of these chemicals. Unregulated and improper use, storage and disposal of these substances and wastes in the military bases are the most common causes of contamination in the surrounding environment.”

Fuentes admited, however, that there is possible spread of contamination via soil and waterways over the years.

Wrong timing

“It was just like a case of wrong timing,” claims Fuentes but complains “but they (Agham scientists) accused us unfairly of denying their entry.”

The CDC official said that the scientists came to the CDC office asking for a permit to take soil and water samples from the former landfill site down to several spots along the nearby river.

“Fine, we said, but we cannot allow digging up any part of the former landfill because they might expose the buried asbestos materials there. If that happens, the asbestos will be hazardous. Our concern is on the safety of their sampling methods,” Fuentes said.

“Also, these Agham scientists wanted their sampling and study during the Holy Week,” he went further. “Of course, for some personal reasons, we can’t accommodate them on holiday. We have family matters to attend to especially during the Holy Week.”

“But if Agham would insist on its study, then we will support it. We only require strict coordination,” Fuentes said.

Agham members could not be contacted by Bulatlat.com immediately for comment.

Studies

Since 1997, the CDC and the DENR under the composite Philippine Task Force on Hazardous Wastes (PTFHW), have conducted site characterization study, geophysical survey on the asbestos landfill, environmental baseline study, radiological survey, health impact assessment, mobile laboratory services, CDC health center services, hydrological survey and water resources study, Fuentes revealed.

“Of course, we cannot stop monitoring the water and soil quality in Clark, because if something bad happens, we are not only to be blamed, we are also to be jailed,” he warned.

Task force

DENR Region III Director Lormelyn E. Claudio, on the other hand, told Bulatlat.com that government has a task force on hazardous wastes to address the issues of toxic wastes in Clark and Subic.

Although formed only in January last year, the task force has been “meeting, planning and implementing programs and activities as an ad-hoc committee since the mid-1990s.”

The PTFHW is co-chaired by the Department of Foreign Affairs and the DENR and has other government agencies as members.

Claudio revealed that an initial P50 million from the President Contingent Fund was allocated last year for the action plans of the PTFHW which are ongoing at present.

She did not elaborate, however, on the PTFHW’s activities.

Claudio and Fuentes are one in insisting that “we should not exaggerate the toxic waste issue.” Or else, they say, there might be diplomatic problems with the US and “we will not gain anything at all.”

The DENR and CDC positions are expected to invite strong reactions from health, environmentalist and militant organizations who have been calling for Phillipine actions to compel the US to accept its responsibility for the bases’ clean-up. While the US has paid billions of dollars to other countries where its military facilities were found to be spreading toxic contamination, it has not done the same in the case of the Philippines, a former colony.

The foreign affairs department in past administrations had publicly acknowledged the futility of compelling the US government to pay for fear that this would undermine the country’s special ties with Washington. Bulatlat.com

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