Over PHP3 billion worth of radioactive-bearing industrial materials, contaminated production equipment and structurally substandard finished steel products were confiscated in a raid on July 18 at Chuangxing Steel Inc. in Magalang, Pampanga, the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC) said on Tuesday.The ad hoc body said the operation was jointly carried out with the National Bureau of Investigation, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Philippine Nuclear Research Institute, Philippine Air Force, Philippine Coast Guard, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Health and the municipalityof Magalang after months-long intelligence gathering, technical assessment and interagency coordination.
"The operation was conducted to address possible violations involving substandard steel products, radioactive-bearing industrial materials, worker safety, environmental protection, and Republic Act No. 12305, or the Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act," the PAOCC said in a statement.
The agency cited that in last Monday's State of the Nation Address, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., cited the need for safe and disaster-resilient infrastructure as well as the need to update the building code.
"The integrity of every structure begins with the integrity of the materials used to build it," the PAOCC said.
The PAOCC said independent laboratory examinations showed that reinforcing steel bars bearing “CX” marking did not pass mandatory structural quality requirements under the Philippine National Standards.
"The operation stopped the continued manufacture and nationwide distribution of construction materials that could pose a serious danger to public safety and national resilience," it said.
The PAOCC said every Filipino has the right to expect that the materials used “in our homes and public infrastructure are safe, strong and compliant with national standards.”
During the operation, 347 Filipino workers and 37 Chinese nationals were secured and removed from the hazardous industrial conditions inside the facility. Four company officers were also arrested along with the evidence obtained during the investigation.
Government inspections uncovered serious labor and workplace safety violations, including wage-related violations, unpaid mandatory employee benefits, lack of occupational safety and health programs, absence of personal protective equipment and use of unsafe machinery and industrial processes.
The PAOCC said the workers were exposed to chemical, radiological and industrial hazards present in raw materials, refractory components, production equipment, industrial dust, slag, wastewater, transport vehicles, environmental samples and finished steel products.
"Radioactive materials cannot be treated like ordinary waste,” PAOCC said.
The PAOCC said the Department of Health has identified 10 workers who “have suspected occupational radiological exposure.”
It said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has also ordered to immediately stop the operation of the company.
“Based on their assessment, conditions at the facility pose an imminent, grave and potentially irreversible threat to worker safety, public health, and environmental integrity,” it added.
The PAOCC said they also discovered that the Philippine peso coins are being melted down and processed as industrial feedstock.
It said filing of charges has been recommended for violation of Republic Act 12305 or Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act; RA 6969 or Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act; Presidential Decree No. 1586; RA 8749 or Philippine Clean Air Act; and RA 7394 or Consumer Act of the Philippines.
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| https://cebudailynews.inquirer.net/756893/authorities-seize-radioactive-substandard-steel-at-davao-city-plant |
Likewise a raid in Misamis turned up radioactive steel.Law enforcement agencies in the Philippines seized suspected radioactive and substandard steel reinforcement bars during a raid on a manufacturing facility in Davao City, according to a Friday statement from the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC).
The PAOCC stated that Thursday’s operation was carried out via a search warrant. This followed a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) inquiry into accusations that the facility located in Barangay Ilang, Bunawan, manufactured and distributed defective steel bars.
“Technical examinations confirmed the presence of radioactive isotopes, including Uranium-238, Thorium-228, Thorium-232, and Radium-226, across different stages and areas of the company’s operations,” the task force noted.
“These were documented in finished ‘DMS’ rebars, furnace-related materials, residual black sand, industrial powders, dust, wastes, wastewater, and other production and stored materials,” it further explained.
PAOCC said operatives “rescued” 174 Filipinos working at the plant.
This “[removed] them from an industrial environment subsequently found to contain radioactive-bearing materials, dust, fumes, wastes, and production residues that posed risks of continued occupational exposure,” it maintained.
Further, the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute certified that the company that owned the plant had no license to acquire, receive, possess, use, store, sell, transfer, import or export nuclear or radioactive materials, the PAOCC added.
Likewise, according to the commission, an inspection by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources found that the company’s environmental compliance certificate did not authorize them to handle, process, store or use radioactive materials in the plant.
PAOCC also noted that the recovered reinforcing steel bars underwent product-standard testing.
“Of eight samples purchased from commercial hardware establishments across Mindanao, four, or 50 percent, failed the mandatory mass-variation requirement under PNS (Philippine National Standard) 49:2020,” it detailed.
PNS 49:2020 is set by the Bureau of Philippine Standards for reinforcing steel bars.
The commission noted that the recovery of the allegedly radioactive and substandard reinforcing steel bars were in the public interest, citing that NBI investigators had found “DMS”-marked reinforcing steel bars supposedly in the rubble of structures that collapsed during the magnitude 7.8 earthquake that shook Mindanao last June 8.
“Authorities stressed, however, that the presence of DMS rebars in the collapsed structures does not by itself establish that the steel caused their collapse,” the commission noted.
“Determining the cause of the structural failures remains subject to appropriate engineering assessment,” it added.
According to the commission, the NBI has referred a case against the company that owned the plant for allegedly violating the following:
- Republic Act No. 12305 or the Philippine National Nuclear Energy Safety Act
- RA No. 6969 or the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act
- Presidential Decree No. 1586 or the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System
- RA No. 7394 or the Consumer Act
The PAOCC did not immediately say whether any arrests were made as a result of the operation or how much the seized evidence was valued.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2231394/radioactive-materials-found-in-raided-misamis-steel-plant |
It's truly an epidemic posing a grave danger to the entire country.While waiting to be documented by authorities on Monday, “Al,” a man in his 30s, told the Inquirer that he and other workers have not felt anything wrong with their bodies so far, in the years working at the plant operated here by Philippine Sanjia-Steel Corp., where experts have found “radiologically contaminated steel” in the premises.
Al and his coworkers said they were not bothered about the alleged hazards detected at the plant, following last week’s raid that resulted in the arrest of least 69 Chinese nationals.
After all, Al said, “We are still here and very much alive.”
“Frankly, what we are worried about is losing our jobs and finding new ones; Sanjia pays well,” Al said in an interview. Three other workers nearby agreed.
In a briefing held in Metro Manila on Tuesday, Undersecretary Benjamin Acorda, executive director of the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission (PAOCC), said experts from the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) had found radioactive materials in different parts of the plant, indicating a serious hazard faced by its workers as well as environmental risks to the community.
Teresa Salabit, PNRI radiation safeguards and security specialist, said the plant’s raw materials “have matched the presence of naturally occurring radioactive thorium.”
“The radioactive materials that are present in the site have already been contained, have been marked, and will be turned over to the authorities as evidence,” Salabit told reporters at Camp Crame via teleconference.
Supported by Army, Coast Guard, and Air Force teams, agents of the National Bureau of Investigation joined the PAOCC officials on Friday last week in serving a search warrant issued by a Cagayan de Oro City court on Sanjia for alleged violations of immigration, labor, and nuclear safety regulations.
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| https://mb.com.ph/2026/07/06/1080-unsanitary-illegal-businesses-in-baguio-face-closure |
At least 1,080 business establishments in the city are facing closure for operating without permits or violating sanitation regulations, an official said.
Geraldine Angulo, acting head of the Permits and Licensing Division under the City Mayor's Office, said about 60 percent of the closure orders involve businesses operating without permits or are non-compliant with sanitation standards.
"Most of the affected establishments were tank fabrication shops, brick-making businesses, auto repair shops, eateries, sari-sari (retail) stores, and one junk shop," Angulo said.
The violations were uncovered during inspections in 50 barangays from Jan. 1 to July 3.
Among the violations cited were operating without a business permit, violating Tax Ordinance No. 2000-001 and Presidential Decree No. 856 or the Sanitation Code of the Philippines, through improper garbage disposal, poor housekeeping, clogged drainage canals, debris accumulation, encroachment on public roads, and construction materials obstructing streets.
Some establishments were also found selling products or offering services not covered by their business permits and were advised to apply for additional business lines to comply with regulations, Angulo said.
She said 27 establishments immediately corrected the violations after being notified, while 17 complied after closure orders were issued. Another 18 had already ceased operations before the closure orders could be served.
The city government intensified enforcement of business and sanitation regulations in the last quarter of 2025 to promote fair trade and protect public health and safety.
Inspection efforts were further expanded, particularly among food establishments, following a viral video showing a rodent in a pot of soup served in a buffet restaurant.
"We will continue to conduct inspection and closure operations in more barangays as part of the local government's intensified campaign to improve sanitation, ensure business compliance, and maintain public order throughout the city," Angulo said.
Earlier, the city's sanitation division of the Health Services Office conducted training and briefings for business owners on the sanitation code, emphasizing pest control as a requirement for the issuance of business permits.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2276750/decades-old-medical-waste-from-4-negros-occidental-hospitals-disposed |
That article is from 2026. But in 2025 Negros Occidental was employing the same program to help other hospitals which were also filled with barrels of waste.Over 111 metric tons of hazardous medical waste that had accumulated for over three decades in four government-run hospitals in Negros Occidental were removed and transported to a Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-accredited treatment facility between June and August this year, provincial officials said.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said the move was part of the province’s continuing hospital cleanup program.
The operation was carried out by pollution control officers under the Provincial Administrator’s Office.
The hazardous materials, which had accumulated in septic vaults and storage areas for over three decades, were removed from Gov. Valeriano M. Gatuslao Memorial Hospital in Himamaylan City, Lorenzo D. Zayco District Hospital in Kabankalan City, Don Salvador Benedicto Memorial District Hospital in La Carlota City, and Ignacio L. Arroyo Sr. Memorial District Hospital in Isabela town.
The latest cleanup follows similar waste-clearing operations previously conducted at Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital, Cadiz District Hospital, and Valladolid District Hospital.
Diaz said the effort reflects the provincial government’s commitment to strengthening health and safety standards in public healthcare facilities and ensuring the proper management and disposal of medical waste.
“The hospital cleanup continues with Urban Hazmat Transport until we perfect the cycle of proper monitoring, packing, and responsible disposal of medical waste,” Diaz said.
Provincial officials said the ongoing initiative is aimed at preventing environmental and health risks associated with improperly stored healthcare waste while improving waste management practices across government hospitals in Negros Occidental.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2090640/negros-occidental-hires-firm-to-dispose-of-hazardous-hospital-waste |
The Negros Occidental provincial government has hired a company to properly dispose of hazardous waste from two of its hospitals, Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said Friday, August 1.
The disposal was done to ensure the hospitals are compliant with the requirements of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Department of Health (DOH) for medical institutions to operate in a safe and healthy environment, he said.
The contractor, Urban Hazmat Transport, has already finished removing hazardous waste from the Cadiz District Hospital in Cadiz City and the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City, he said.
The company hauled 111,111 kilograms of hospital waste from the two facilities to a treatment plant in Cavite province.
The waste had previously been buried and stored in septic vaults at the two hospitals.
Diaz said the two hospitals were prioritized because the Cadiz District Hospital served as a COVID-19 center during the pandemic, and the Teresita L. Jalandoni Provincial Hospital was home to a molecular laboratory, making its waste more hazardous than others.
The provincial government paid P10 million for the waste removal, he said.Another purchase order will be signed for the disposal of hazardous waste from the province’s other hospitals.
While the Silay City hospital has an incinerator, it only has the capacity to handle current waste, not the backlog, Diaz said.
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| https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/2082086/ph-making-more-hazardous-waste-govt-cant-build-enough-disposal-sites |
Hazardous garbage produced in the Philippines in 2024 grew faster than the waste management system meant to handle it, making it more urgent for the government to invest more in necessary infrastructure.
Latest data from the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA) showed the country generated 269,552 tons of hazardous waste (garbage that is harmful to health or the environment), like oil and toxic chemicals, last year, up by 13 percent year-on-year.
Though one of the lowest volumes recorded based on data dating back to 2015, hazardous waste still piled up faster than the government could build disposal facilities. The number of material recovery facilities nationwide was at 12,855 in 2024, representing an 8.7-percent increase from the preceding year’s 11,823.
State statisticians reported that the number of sanitary landfills went up to 343, up by 14.7 percent year-on-year. But the number of reported illegal dumps also increased at a much faster rate of 84 percent, reaching 79 compared to 43 in 2023.
By region, Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal and Quezon) generated 114,988 tons of hazardous waste in 2024, accounting for 43 percent of the total volume.
“The increasing volume of overall waste—whether hazardous or not—is the product of a linear take-make-waste system and businesses’ continued dependence on single-use products and use of hazardous chemicals in products and services,” said Marian Ledesma, Greenpeace Philippines campaigner. In a take-make-waste system, products are designed for disposal, not durability or reuse.
Among the types of hazardous waste, oil was the largest at 89,752 tons, or 33.3 percent of the total generated hazardous trash in the country.
Next was miscellaneous waste at 51,765 tons, or a 19.2 percent share. Waste with inorganic chemicals stood at 39,438 tons or 14.6 percent.Ledesma said there were ways to reduce the volume of waste, such as phasing out single-use plastics and other common disposable products, banning commercial use of harmful chemical groups in products, regulating hazardous chemicals and strictly enforcing segregation at source.
“The latter is especially crucial to reduce organic waste from going to landfills and to avoid hazardous and organic waste from contaminating other types of waste. Phaseouts or bans of single-use products and packaging, on the other hand, can prevent waste generation altogether,” she added.
