21 May 2009, Quezon City. A waste and pollution watchdog urged the government to seek membership in a new initiative that aims to enhance international cooperation to safely eradicate polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs).
In a statement issued coinciding with the 8th anniversary today of the signing of the Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), the EcoWaste Coalition lauded the recent decision of the 4th Conference of Parties (COP4) to establish the PCBs Elimination Network (PEN).
Department of Environment and Natural Resources Usec. Demetrio Ignacio and Angelita Brabante represented the Philippines at the historic conference, which also saw nine chemicals being added to the UN POPs blacklist.
“We welcome the increased attention to reduce the serious health and environmental threats from PCBs by ensuring their environmentally sound management, especially in countries that lack financial and technological resources to deal with their toxic stockpiles,” said Rey Palacio, project staff of the EcoWaste Coalition.
“We urge the government and other stakeholders from the public and private sectors to get involved in the PEN and benefit from the unique information exchange, networking and capacity building opportunities,” he said.
“RP’s membership in PEN will hopefully open new avenues for accessing essential resources to support the ongoing multi-stakeholders’ partnership to phase out PCBs in the country using a non-combustion technology,” Palacio added.
The PEN seeks members from governments, intergovernmental organizations, nongovernmental organizations, donor agencies, owners of PCBs, related service industries, and scientific and technical experts. The Geneva-based United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) will act as its preliminary Secretariat.
PCBs, one of the so-called “dirty dozen” POPs, are reportedly the most distributed toxic chemicals listed in the Stockholm Convention in use globally, with an estimated quantity of five million tonnes of PCB oil and contaminated equipment worldwide.
Based on preliminary inventories, the Philippines has 6,879 tonnes of PCB containing equipment and wastes, comprising about 2,400 tonnes of PCBs oil, mostly found in electrical utilities and cooperatives, industrial establishments and manufacturing plants, servicing facilities, military camps and hospitals.
Signed in 2001, the Stockholm Convention is an international agreement to address global chemical pollution. Ratified by the Senate in 2004, it seeks to protect human health and the environment from POPs.
“The signing of the Stockholm Convention is a triumph for environmental health and underscores the primacy of public welfare over the narrow economic interest of the chemical industry,” commented Von Hernandez, Executive Director of Greenpeace Southeast Asia, a member of the EcoWaste Coalition.
“Public vigilance is still required however to ensure that these persistent poisons are really taken out of commerce,” he emphasized.
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