THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said on Tuesday that appropriate action will be taken once a report on garbage shipped from South Korea to the Philippines is released, possibly this week. Some 5,100 tons of garbage containing used dextrose tubes, diapers, batteries, bulbs and electronic equipment arrived at the Mindanao Container Terminal (MCT) in Misamis Oriental on July 21, carried by MV Affluent Ocean. According to Environment Undersecretary Benny D. Antiporda, the agency will recommend the return of the garbage and the filing of administrative and criminal charges against those involved in the shipment are found to contain hazardous materials. The DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) verified that the shipment was not covered by any importation clearance as issued by the DENR. The DENR also said the consignee, Verde Soko II Industrial Corp, is not a registered importer of recyclable materials. Verde Soko is a South Korean company which operates a 4.5 hectare waste recycling facility at Phividec Industrial Estate in Tagoloan town. — Reicelene Joy N. Ignacio

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