A United Methodist bishop welcomed a gesture in the U.S. Congress addressing environmental contamination problems on former U.S. military bases in the Philippines. Bishop Daniel C. Arichea Jr. of the Philippines Central Conference Baguio area praised the resolution introduced on June 15 by Congressman Robert Underwood (D-Delegate, Guam) in the U.S. House of Representatives expressing an intent to find solutions to these problems. A similar resolution had been introduced by Senator Richard Lugar (R-IN) in the U.S. Senate on April 7.

"The resolution is indeed a great step forward in working out a lasting solution to the problem of toxic waste and its continuing effect on the health of the people around the bases," said Arichea.

Although the agreement between the U.S. and Philippine governments concerning military bases did not assign responsibility for cleanup of toxic waste, Arichea said that the U.S. government is morally liable and accountable. He urged other Filipinos to appeal to the Americans' sense of fairness and responsibility for their own actions. "U.S. lawmakers like Underwood and Lugar have this sense of responsibility for what the Americans have left behind in the former bases," said Arichea, adding, "May their tribe increase!"

The House resolution (H. Con. Res. 255) and its Senate version (Senate Bill 2382, Section 806) stated that the U.S. government should work with the Philippine government and nongovernmental organizations to identify and share information concerning environmental contamination and health effects emanating from the military facilities vacated by U.S. military forces in 1992. Furthermore, the resolutions urged that the U.S. government work with the Philippine government to help ameliorate such problems.

A Filipino-American coalition based in Washington, D.C., also hailed Underwood's initiative, calling it a great first step toward achieving legislation to allocate funds for toxic waste cleanup and related health issues in the former Clark and Subic bases. The resolution, which has been referred to the Committee on International Relations, is legally non-binding.

According to the Filipino/American Coalition for Environmental Solutions (FACES), serious groundwater and soil contamination at Clark and Subic is documented in reports by the U.S. General Accounting Office (GAO), the World Health Organization, the Department of Defense, and other independent environmental agencies. Among the contaminants are toxic solvents, pesticides, asbestos, heavy metals, unexploded ordnance, and other hazardous substances.

"We are seeking for immediate protection of public health, a comprehensive investigation, a thorough clean-up funded by the U.S., medical compensation for victims, and a clean-up process that is transparent, includes independent oversight, and involves NGOs and communities," said Christina Leano, director of FACES.

Meanwhile, a Philippine government task force revealed on July 3 that it found 26 contaminated sites in Clark and Subic. The presence of toxic substances in the ground, in water sources, and possibly in some plants could have caused diseases that have afflicted local folk, according to Philippine health secretary Alberto Romualdez, as reported in the Philippine Star, a local daily. While the direct causal link between exposure to the toxic substances and the diseases may never be fully confirmed by epidemiological studies, Romualdez urged that a health surveillance system be provided to protect the health of local people.

In the same report, Philippines foreign affairs secretary Domingo Siazon Jr. announced that the United States would sign a joint agreement on environmental cooperation for the cleanup of contaminated sites in Clark and Subic when President Joseph Estrada visits the United States in late July. But other Philippine officials, like Senator Loren Legarda, said that the agreement is not going to compensate for the harm brought about by the toxic wastes. Legarda urged that the Philippine government seek international redress for the environmental, social, and economic damage caused by toxic contamination in the former American bases.

The United Methodist Church, through a resolution on environmental stewardship passed by the General Conference in Cleveland in May, advocates that governments aggressively assess the extent of possible toxic and hazardous waste disposal problems within their jurisdictions, [and] require that the entity or entities responsible for the problem pay for hazardous waste cleanup and for any health damages caused by the improper or inadequate disposal of such substances.

July 17, 2000

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