{"id":1037,"date":"2013-07-25T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2013-07-24T16:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/master.k8s.p4.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/press\/1037\/illegal-dumpsite-in-manila-bay-shut-down-by-greenpeace-ecowaste-coalition\/"},"modified":"2019-11-06T17:05:12","modified_gmt":"2019-11-06T09:05:12","slug":"illegal-dumpsite-in-manila-bay-shut-down-by-greenpeace-ecowaste-coalition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.greenpeace.org\/philippines\/press\/1037\/illegal-dumpsite-in-manila-bay-shut-down-by-greenpeace-ecowaste-coalition\/","title":{"rendered":"Illegal dumpsite in Manila Bay shut down by Greenpeace, EcoWaste Coalition"},"content":{"rendered":"
Manila\u2014Early this morning activists from Greenpeace Southeast Asia, crew from the Greenpeace ship Esperanza, and members of EcoWaste Coalition shut down Pier 18, an illegal dumpsite, operating on the shores of Manila Bay.<\/div>\n
\n

Around 24 activists, aboard several rubber inflatable boats, secured mooring lines across Pier 18\u2019s sea access, preventing the entry and exit of the dump\u2019s trash barges. After closing the illegal dumpsite, the activists displayed banners that read \u201cThis dumpsite is now closed\u201d and \u201cStop ocean destruction.\u201d Greenpeace and EcoWaste Coalition are calling for the immediate closure of the dump, as well as for its clean-up and rehabilitation.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is completely unacceptable that this garbage dump continues to operate with impunity when it blatantly violates Philippine laws,\u201d said Aileen Lucero, National Coordinator of EcoWaste Coalition. \u201cWe are demanding all concerned agencies and local government units, particularly the city of Manila, to follow through and close down Pier 18 as well as all similar dump sites, permanently.<\/p>\n

\u201cPier 18 is a sordid example of crime and grime on our waters,\u201d said Vince Cinches, Greenpeace Southeast Asia Oceans Campaigner. \u201cGreenpeace and EcoWaste Coalition are here to enforce the law by closing down this illegal waste dump. This should also serve as a first step toward rehabilitating Manila Bay. Not only do such dumps endanger the health of Filipinos, they also threaten the well-being of water bodies on whose bounty millions of Filipinos rely.\u201d<\/p>\n

The presence of the Pier 18 dumpsite exacerbates the pollution problem in Manila Bay. Purportedly a garbage \u201ctransfer station,\u201d the facility has been stockpiling trash for decades. The facility violates existing laws such as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003), the Clean Water Act (RA 9275) and the Clean Air Act (RA 8749). It is also directly contradicts the Supreme Court Decision GR Nos. 171947-48 ordering the expeditious clean-up of Manila Bay (1). The transport of garbage across several kilometers on water heightens the risk of further pollution in the bay (2).<\/p>\n

Greenpeace and EcoWaste Coalition believe that unless waste dumps and similar facilities such as Pier 18 are shut down, the pollution problem facing communities on land and plaguing our marine waters will be difficult, and even impossible, to address. Greenpeace is additionally proposing a Road to Recovery for the Philippine seas which includes measures to reduce and eliminate stressors, such as pollution, on vital marine habitats.<\/p>\n

\u201cEach year, the government spends millions in trying to clean up Manila Bay. But a big part of the problem is illegal waste dumps,\u201d said Lucero. \u201cWe are calling on the city of Manila to close down all existing dumps and put into place genuine ecological solid waste management systems based on the principles of people-based management, waste minimization and segregation at-source.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThe City of Manila and the Philippine Government cannot turn a blind eye on Pier 18 whose filth and muck are spilling into one of the country\u2019s most important bodies of water,\u201d said Cinches. \u201cIt is time the government sent the message that our marine waters are not dumping grounds. The Aquino administration must also strictly implement policies at a national level to ensure that our oceans are protected. We must reduce additional stresses on our marine ecosystems. We need to protect the integrity of our marine resources against abuse, and invoke the mandate of the state to provide a healthy and balanced ecology for its people.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Esperanza is in the Philippines for the \u201cOcean Defender Tour of Southeast Asia 2013.\u201d(3) The tour aims to tell the story of the richness and the beauty of the Philippine seas, expose destruction that causes marine degradation, and sound the alarm to call for urgent government action to save the Philippine seas from crisis(4). Filipinos can join the growing movement of people dedicated to saving the seas by signing up at www.defendouroceans.org.<\/a><\/p>\n

FOR MORE INFORMATION:<\/strong><\/p>\n

Vince Cinches, Oceans Campaigner, vince.cinches@greenpeace.org<\/a>