Congress asked to probe US toxic waste dumping in Subic

OLONGAPO CITY — Activists urged top leaders in Congress to probe the alleged dumping of toxic wastes in Subic Bay, a day after the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) announced it is investigating a United States Navy contractor blamed for throwing of hazardous wastes here.
“Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile and House Speaker Sonny Belmonte are legally, politically and morally obliged to undertake a joint or separate inquiry into this wholesale poisoning of coastal and offshore waters off Subic Bay that might spread to adjacent bodies of water encompassing Zambales Bay and Lingayen Gulf,” the fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) said in a press statement.
Salvador France, Pamalakaya vice chairperson, said the Senate and House of Representatives should not ignore the issue of “toxic imperialism” in Subic Bay, adding that a full-blown investigation should be done in aid of legislation, independent and totally free from influencing peddling of the US Embassy in Manila.
France said it is high time for the Senate and the House of Representatives to break their silence on alleged dumping of toxic wastes of US commissioned military contractors and do what is best for national interest and for the environment.
“We hope the Senate and the House of Representatives will see the necessity and wisdom of national sovereignty in dealing with this kind of problem. The solution on top of the ongoing probe of the SBMA and the proposed congressional inquiry in aid of legislation will include the abrogation of treaties with the US like the Visiting Forces Agreement and the RP-US Military Defense Pact,” he added.
SBMA records showed released to local media revealed that wastes dumped by the tanker MT Glenn Guardian were collected from American ships that joined the recently concluded joint military exercises in the country.
The SBMA noted that tanker is one of the vessels owned by Glenn Defense Marine Asia, a Malaysian company operating in several countries which services American ships in the Philippines.
On October 15, environmental personnel of SBMA Ecology Center inspected MT Glenn Guardian tanker, which was then docked at the Naval Supply Depot area due to a “hazard call” from another free port locator.
The SBMA spot report showed that the tanker was carrying some 189,500 liters of domestic waste and about 760 liters of bilge water (a combination of water, oil and grease), all of which were hauled from Emory Land,