BOC raps company over Canadian trash

The Bureau of Customs on Thursday filed smuggling charges before the Department of Justice against the importer of 48 container vans of trash misdeclared as "plastic scraps" from Canada. 

 

The BIR charged Nelson Manio, owner and proprietor of Pampanga-based Live Green Enterprises for unlawfully importing "municipal solid wastes misdeclared as plastic scraps" from Vancouver.

 

Under the law, only homogeneous plastic scrap materials are allowed as regulated imports provided the importer has the necessary clearance for pre-shipment importation from the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (EMB-DENR).

 

Live Green Enterprise is charged for violating Section 3601 of the Tariff and Customs Code of the Philippines (TCCP) as amended, in relation to DENR Administrative Order (DAO) 1994-28 entitled “Interim Guidelines in the Importation of Recyclable Material Containing Hazardous Substances."

 

The shipments, comprising 45-foot container vans, were discovered by the Customs Bureau last May when newly installed Customs Chief Alberto Lina instructed all ports to submit an inventory of all overstaying cargoes.

 

Based on import documents of the shipments, the exporter was a certain Demetrios Jim Makris of Chronic Inc. Canada, the same exporter of the 55 container vans of heterogeneous waste discovered last year which were consigned to Chronic Plastics. 

 

"This caused BOC to suspect the contents of the subject shipments," the bureau said.

 

A Waste Analysis Composition Study conducted by the EMB-DENR on June 3 revealed that the container vans contain non-hazardous municipal solid wastes of used and unsorted or “heterogeneous” wastes, including household and street garbage.

 

“This is a wakeup call for all of us. It is very clear that these waste materials were shipped to the Philippines illegally. That is why we have filed the necessary case against Live Green Enterprises, to make sure that those responsible for importing these waste materials be punished in accordance with the law,” said Lina.

 

“Aside from filing charges, we are making sure that the Customs accreditation of companies engaged in the importation of heterogeneous wastes like Live Green Enterprise and Chronic Plastics are cancelled," he added.

 

The BOC already filed similar charges with the DOJ against the owner and Customs brokers of Chronic Plastics last February 2014. The case is now pending before the courts. 

 

“We are mindful of the threat to public health and safety that these wastes could bring to our people that is why we are committed to continue working with the Philippine government to resolve this issue of mutual concern in a satisfactory manner,” Lina said on Thursday.

 

The container vans seized in last year arrived in six batches from June to August 2013. The importer even declared a total value of P3.9 million for 19 of the containers, Sevilla noted.

 

The waste shipment contained "heterogenous" plastic materials, including household garbage and used adult diapers, contrary to the importer's declaration that the shipment was homogenous or recyclable plastic scrap materials. – VS, GMA News