1. COUNTRY REPORT -Philippines CORAZON Z. VIDAD Department of Health Center for Health Development for CALABARZON Philippines

2. Location: Southern portion of Luzon Land Area : 4,692,410 hectares Topography: flat coastal areas, upland interior areas of slightly moderate or undulating plains, hills and mountains Provinces: CAVITE, LAGUNA, BATANGAS, RIZAL, QUEZON (CALABARZON) IVA Cities: 10 Municipalities: 132 Barangay: 4160 Population : 15% of the 84.6 M REGIONAL PROFILE

3. RISK ASSESSMENT AND MONITORING FOR ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMICALS

5. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH PROGRAM 1.Drinking Water Quality Establish a scheme of monitoring the water quality of different water sources Private water concessionaires Water Refilling Stations Still working on the monitoring program for the water districts and individual private water operators

6. 2. Health Care Waste Management (HCWM) Ensure the implementation of HCWM in hospitals through coordination and collaboration with Licensing and regulation unit of CHD-IVA and local government units Technical assistance in the preparation of HCWM Monitoring on the implementation of their HCWM plan

7. 3.Technical Assistance a) to other national government agencies Manila Bay Environmental Management Project Multi-Sectoral Forest Protection Committee Promotion of Family Planning program to upland communities to prevent continuous degradation of forests

8. b) To local government units Capability building of sanitary inspectors Responds to outbreak of any disease/incidents that endangers the human lives 4.Gives recommendation to the Secretary of Health the sites for presidential proclamation 5.Recommends the issuance of permits in the operation of water refilling stations/water bottling plants, and burial grounds

9. CURRENT STATUS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION POLICY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE PHILS. International Commitments: Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants Rotterdam Convention on the Prior Informed Consents Procedure for Certain Hazardous Chemicals and Pesticides in International Trade Bassel Convention on the Trans-boundary Movement of Hazardous Waste The Montreal Protocol on Ozone Depleting Substances

10. CURRENT STATUS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION POLICY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE PHILS. Regulate, restrict, or prohibit the importation, manufacture, processing, sale, distribution, use and disposal of chemical substances and mixtures that present unreasonable risk and or injury to health and environment; Prohibit the entry, even in transit, of hazardous and nuclear wastes and its disposal into Phil.territorial limits;

11. CURRENT STATUS OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION POLICY, SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY IN THE PHILS. Working on the development of a National Implementation Plan on POP’s elimination and ratification of the treaty by the Philippine Senate; Adoption of cleaner production technologies.

12. MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS A.BANNED PESTICIDES B.DIOXINS (PCCD) AND FURANS (PCDF) Based on preliminary results of the Phil. National PCCD /PCDF Inventory in 1999, identified that uncontrolled combustion processes, power generation and cooking are the major sources. Air had the highest PCCD/PCDF contamination that can be attributed to uncontrolled combustion of agricultural residues, firewood cooking, and biomass fired boilers.

13. MAJOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS C.HEAVY METALS Mercury F.Hazardous Wastes Estimated 2.41 M tons (642,985 tons from CALABARZON) of hazardous wastes generated annually

14. REGULATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS, INDUSTRIAL AND DOMESTIC WASTES Presidential Decree 1152 – Phil. Environment Code Set guidelines for waste management Provide measures to guide and encourage appropriate government agencies in establishing sound, efficient, comprehensive & effective waste management

15. REGULATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS, INDUSTRIAL AND DOMESTIC WASTES Presidential Decree 1144 Created the Fertilizer and Pesticide Authority to assure adequate supply of fertilizers and pesticides at reasonable price To protect the public from risks inherent in the use of pesticides

16. REGULATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS, INDUSTRIAL AND DOMESTIC WASTES Presidential Decree 856 – Code on Sanitation of the Philippines Provide guidelines in the implementation of sanitation in the areas of water supply, refuse disposal, disposal of dead person, domestic wastes, etc. ……… Republic Act 9003 – The Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2001 Provide a comprehensive. Integrated and ecological approach to solid waste management

17. REGULATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS, INDUSTRIAL AND DOMESTIC WASTES Republic Act 6969 – Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990 Inventory of chemicals and chemical substances Listing of all existing chemicals and chemical substances Screening of harmful substances before entering the Philippine commerce

18. REGULATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONTAMINANTS, INDUSTRIAL AND DOMESTIC WASTES Republic Act 8743 – Phil. Clean Air Act of 1999 Prohibiting the use of incinerators for the treatment and disposal biomedical, municipal and hazardous wastes Provision for the development of short term and long term government programs on reduction and elimination of POPs.

19. Some related experiences on Risk Assessment Explosion in the vinyl acetate monomer storage tank area Explosion at the chemicals storage area Several incidences of cholera, typhoid, hepatitis A outbreaks in different locations