Manufacturing company Bataan 2020, Inc. has denied importing illegal solid waste from the US through the Port of Subic.
“We strongly protest the allegation made by several quarters that our company allowed the entry of illegal solid waste from the United States,” the company said in a statement.
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) on October 22 said it had seized two import containers of potential waste materials leaving Subic port on October 21.
READ: BOC Port of Subic foils entry of imported waste materials
BOC said the two containers, which are part of a group of 30 containers consigned to Bataan 2020 that was alerted by its collection district in Subic, were declared to contain “American old corrugated cartons for repulping.”
Further examination of the shipment revealed illegally imported prohibited waste materials, BOC claimed. The customs bureau as of October 22 said it was still conducting an inventory to ascertain the volume and actual contents of the shipment.
Investigation for possible violation of Section 1400 (Misdeclaration) of Republic Act No. 10863, otherwise known as the Customs Modernization and Tariff Act, as well as pertinent environmental laws, is also underway.
On October 22, Bataan 2020 said a combined team from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and BOC led by DENR undersecretary Benny Antiporda went to Subic port and asked the company’s brokerage firm to open five of the 30 containers filled with old papers and paper cartons.
“These materials are within internationally accepted industry quality standards and were allowed into the country covered by the appropriate documents. We agreed to open them for transparency and obedience of the law,” the company said.
Out of the five containers, the DENR team only found a couple of face masks inside one container filled with old papers and cartons, and no ferrous materials were found in any of the containers that were inspected, Bataan 2020 said.
The manufacturer said it has always complied with the law and cooperated with relevant government agencies.
Bataan 2020 said it has been manufacturing recycled paper used for printing, writing, packaging and tissue for over 20 years, and is a member of good standing with the Philippine Paper Manufacturers’ Association.
The company added it has also been given permits by the government to operate as an importer of recyclable materials, which are processed under internationally recognized ISO and Forestry Stewardship Council standards of certification.
“Paper manufacturing is an integral component in the recycling chain and helps the environment by reducing paper from ending up in landfills,” Bataan 2020 said.
It added: “The importation of recycled paper and cartons is an international and standard practice to supplement local supply shortages and allows local manufacturers to improve paper quality by introducing higher quality fibers that are not available in the Philippines.”
Its state-of-the-art paper mill recycles old cartons, magazines and newsprint to contribute towards improving the carbon footprint in the Philippines, it said.
