Making RP dump site for junks ultimate desecration -- Loren

Senator Loren Legarda expressed strong opposition yesterday to the government's plan to convert the Philippines into a dump site for old ships from foreign countries, saying it will lead to the "ultimate desecration of the Pearl of the Orient."

"True, the dismantling of these vessels may provide some employment but the downside is that they would pollute our ports and seas and cause more damage than benefits," said Loren, a devoted environmentalist who had authored several laws intended for the restoration of the country's damaged environment.

"Moreover, do we have the technology and modern equipment needed to dismantle them efficiently and conform with the solid waste management act?" she said.

Loren issued the statement in reaction to the proposal of Labor Secretary Marianito Roque to convert the Philippines into a dumping ground for old and discarded ships from foreign countries, especially Japan.

Loren also scored the government's habit of accepting foreign business ventures without weighing first the consequences. "The government should study each proposal for a foreign venture carefully to determine if it will indeed benefit our people," she said.

"The mere sight of these rusty, decrepit and deteriorating vessels squatting off our shores would spoil the pristine view of our emerald seas, provide hazards for local navigation and fishermen depress rather than uplift the spirit and discourage tourism," she explained.

She said to convert this Pearl of the Orient into a garbage dump for the wastes of advanced countries, such as hospital discards, abandoned cars, plastic refuse and even nuclear wastes is the ultimate desecration of our precious Pearl of the Orient."

"To open our country for those junks is pathetic, even ridiculous as it underscores the country's utter lack of concern for our environment," lamented Loren.

"It should be noted that the Philippines is among the countries which have the dirtiest seas owing to the millions of tons of garbage and litter collected from our shores and seas, and now we are out sizing the problem by littering our seas with the biggest garbage of all - discarded, abandoned, rotting foreign ships."

"This is pathetic more than ridiculous," she stressed.