Philippines ships back 2,676MT of garbage to South Korea

Part of the waste materials which have been dumped in Misamis Oriental since July 2018 has been shipped back to South Korea, the Department of Finance (DOF) reported Wednesday.

In a statement, the DOF said some 2,676 metric tons (MT) of waste materials -- part of the 5,176.91 metric tons illegally imported in the Philippines from South Korea -- consisted of plastic synthetic flakes.

The garbage was shipped back in 151 forty-footer containers -- the first batch of 51 containers shipped back on January 25, 2019, the second batch of 50 containers on January 15, 2020, and the third batch of 50 containers on March 21, 2020.

"The re-exportation took some time because the wastes have been exposed to natural elements of heat and rain, which made it difficult to re-bag and stuff inside the containers," Customs Commissioner Rey Leonardo Guerrero was quoted as saying.

According to Guerrero, the remaining 2,500 metric tons of waste still needs to be re-bagged. These were originally scheduled to be shipped back to Korea by the end of March, but was set back due to the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ).

"Rest assured that the Bureau will undertake all the necessary means, within the bounds of law, in order to expedite the re-exportation of these wastes," said Guerrero.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered an enhanced community quarantine in Luzon from March 17 to April 13. It has since been extended to last until April 30 given the rising number of confirmed cases of COVID-19.—AOL, GMA News