Bureau of Customs Mindanao Container Terminal sub-port collector John Simon (Photo by Jigger J. Jerusalem)
CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY – Three South Korean nationals are facing criminal charges over the importation of several tons of garbage that arrived at a local port last year, a Bureau of Customs (BOC-10) official said Thursday.
John Simon, BOC-10 Mindanao International Container Terminal (MICT) sub-port collector, identified those he sued as Chul Soo Cho, alias Charles Cho, Jae Ryang Cho, and Sena Na.
Simon said authorities are still looking for the Koreans and a warrant of arrest has already been issued for them.
“They must be held responsible. A hold-departure order must be issued so they can’t get away,” Simon said.
He said the Bureau of Immigration must locate the foreigners and bring them to court so they can face the charges against them.
Simon put the blame on the Koreans for the alleged importation and shipment of the 6,500 metric tons of trash to the country last year.
He said the Koreans will be facing charges for violation of Republic Act 6969 or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Waste Control Act of 1990, for the transport and entry of the trash to the country.
Section 13 of said law states that it is unlawful to “cause, aid or facilitate, directly or indirectly, in in the storage, importation, or bringing into Philippine territory, including its marine economic zones, even in transit, either by means of land, air or sea transportation or otherwise keeping in storage any amount of hazardous and nuclear wastes in any part of the Philippines.”
Simon said the foreigners are officials of Verde Soko Philippines Industrial Corporation (Verde Soko), the company that imported the mostly plastic wastes from Pyeongtaek City in South Korea, last year.
Simon said he filed the complaint at the Misamis Oriental provincial prosecutor’s office about three weeks ago.
The garbage arrived at the MICT sub-port in Tagoloan in two batches in July and October 2018.
According to Verde Soko, the tons of imported trash were supposed to be used as materials for its plastic recycling facility in Sitio Buguac, Barangay Santa Cruz, Tagoloan, inside the Phividec Industrial Authority-managed eco-zone complex.
Verde Soko officials claimed the trash will be processed and made into furniture and other items.
The Customs, however, seized the garbage as it was not properly declared and the importer failed to secure an import permit from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.
Simon said the second shipment of 1,500 metric tons that arrived in October was declared as “synthetic plastic flakes” but was found out to be all sorts of discarded and unsegregated plastic materials.
Lawyer Abbas Lao, the Environmental Management Bureau-10 legal officer, said in a previous interview that the shipment arrived before they could issue Verdo Soko an import permit.
On Jan. 13, 2019, the 1,500 metric tons of plastic wastes were shipped back to South Korea upon the agreement of the Philippine and the Korean governments. (PNA)
