Leyte lawmakers seek clarification over shipment of medical waste from Mandaue

Local

THE Leyte Provincial Board will seek answers from environment officials and a waste management company over the transport of medical waste from Mandaue City to the province's Isabel town.

Fifth District Board Member and former Vice Governor Carlo Petilla-Loreto said the board had no idea that more than 300 drums of medical and infectious waste from Mandaue City were hauled to Leyte until it was reported in the media.

In a phone interview with the media, he said the move, done without coordination with local authorities, poses health and environmental risks and violates the province’s Environmental Code.

Under the province’s code, any project involving the transport and treatment of hazardous waste must undergo public consultation at the barangay, municipal, and provincial levels.

It must also secure the prior consent of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan before operations can proceed. Loreto said these processes were bypassed in this case.

The waste shipment reportedly includes used syringes, blood-stained bandages, broken fluorescent lamps, chemical containers, and other potentially infectious hospital materials.

It came from a year-long backlog of waste in Mandaue City that had piled up following the shutdown of the city’s previous hauler, Pollution Abatement Systems Specialists Inc. (PASSI).

To address the issue, the Mandaue City government contracted Cleanaway Philippines Inc., which is the only DENR-EMB-accredited Treatment, Storage, and Disposal (TSD) facility operator for hazardous waste in both Region 7 and Region 8.

The waste was brought to Cleanaway’s five-hectare treatment facility located in the Leyte Industrial Development Estate (LIDE) in Isabel.

In a statement, Cleanaway said its operations follow all the necessary permits and environmental protocols as required by the DENR-EMB.

The company explained that the waste undergoes autoclaving, a sterilization process using pressurized steam to eliminate pathogens, before being disposed of in a dedicated landfill on-site.

The facility has long served medical and industrial clients throughout the Visayas.

However, Loreto maintained that national regulatory compliance does not eliminate the need for local transparency and proper coordination.

He said the lack of communication has left even government officials unable to provide clear answers to concerned residents.

He pointed out that Cleanaway may be a legitimate hauler, but residents deserve to know how frequently the company’s systems and procedures are being monitored.

He warned that even high-tech processes can pose serious public health risks if inspections are not consistently conducted.

Loreto also noted that some of the medical waste had reportedly been stockpiled at the old North Bus Terminal in Mandaue City before it was transferred to Leyte.

He questioned the rationale behind transporting hazardous waste across provinces, citing the risk of spillage, exposure, and possible infection.

He said some of his colleagues in the Provincial Board have already sent letters to the DENR, while others have coordinated with the Department of Health (DOH) to seek further clarification on the issue.

Loreto himself has contacted individuals who could help verify the current status of the waste processing and disposal in Isabel.

Loreto admitted that even local officials are in the dark and unable to intelligently respond to inquiries from the public.

He expressed frustration over the lack of consultation, saying that the entire process has lacked transparency from the beginning.

He also suggested that Cebu should consider processing its medical waste within its own jurisdiction rather than sending it to Leyte.

He said this approach would be more logical and would minimize the potential dangers associated with transporting hazardous materials across provincial boundaries.(MyTVCebu)