YONIP Pinoy, Yes, Observe National Independence & Peace
PEOPLE'S TASK FORCE
FOR BASES CLEAN-UP
(PTFBC)
"I can recall , as commanding officer of an aircraft carrier in 1970, being closely monitored in US ports to insure proper control and disposal of waste
material. This increased caution was not evident to me here Subic Bay in 1971 where ships, our aircraft and our industrial facilities were spewing polluted materials into the air,
water and soil with no regard for the short-term or long-term effects. I began to see then the double-standard....When one adds the long-term effects of the discharge of untreated
sewage, leakage and escape of PCP from electrical generators, it is beyond doubt that Subic Bay is contaminated in many ways which threaten the long-term health and safety of local
residents. The contamination also constitutes a potential barrier to investment and development necessary to convert closed facilities into useful assets for the benefits of the
local economy and citizens of the host nations."
- Admiral Eugene Carrol,Jr., Retired,US Navy, former Commander of US Aircraft Carrier Midway in "US Military Bases and the Environment," 1996 International Forum
on US Military Toxics and Bases Clean-up, Manila. Sponsored by People's Task Force on Bases Clean-up & Nuclear-Free Philippines Coalition.
HISTORY
Born in 1994, the People's Task Force for Bases Clean-up (PTFBC), as a post
bases programme under the Nuclear Free Philippines Coalition, strongly
advocates for the clean-up of former U.S. military facilities in the
Philippines. It pioneered in bringing awareness on toxic and hazardous wastes
in the country as well as campaigning against its production and dumping by
industries and corporations.
The PTFBC was the main co-organizer of the First International Forum on US
Military Toxics and Bases Cleanup held in Manila, Philippines in 1996. It
subsequently pushed for the investigation of Clark and Subic by American
consulting firms that confirmed 46 contaminated sites and successfully
accomplished the phenomenal health survey of 13 communities at Clark with
world-renowned epidemiologist Dr. Rosalie Bertell.
PTFBC worked closely with the US Working Group for Bases Cleanup which now
forms part of the Filipino/American Coalition for Environmental Solutions
(FACES), a broad network of US citizens addressing a broad range of concerns
related to the Philippines.
Most importantly, PTFBC operates with the support of valuable friends and
volunteers who believe that foremost of all, Filipino dignity must be upheld
by pushing polluter's responsibility and clean-up in the country's worst
disaster ever: human-made environmental destruction.
OUR
VISION
WE ENVISION A SOCIETY...
Where aggression and domination among
people and nations are replaced by interdependence in mutually benefiting
relationships;
Where the health and security of
every community is of primary concern to governing bodies;
Where environmental justice prevails
regardless of ethnicity, gender, age, and economic status;
Where governments are responsible for
the consequences of military action towards the people and the environment.
OUR
MISSION
To seek U.S. responsibility in the comprehensive investigation and cleanup
of toxic and hazardous waste left behind by U.S. military forces in its former
bases in the Philippines.
PROJECTS
• a health program and medical assistance for the toxic waste victims of
Subic and Clark;
• Community organizing of victims and survivors, firmly believing that "in
number there is strength" to be able to push for cleanup and rehabilitation of
victims;
• Provide linkage to individuals and groups that could provide alternative
well and clean water to communities in peripheral areas of Clark:
• Policy advocacy;
• Health survey and monitoring;
• Facilitating legal assistance, help victims and survivors to air grievances
in proper forum such as but not limited to filing of appropriate cases in
courts for damages;
• IPEN Focal Point, through the Phlippine POPs Elimination Network, serves as
the working group for the global campaign to eliminate Persistent Organic
Pollutants (POPs).
The Philippine coordinator for the International Network on Military
activities and Environmental justice (INME)
IMPORTANT INFORMATION
Board of Trustees:
Chairperson:
Von Glenn Hernandez
Co-Chairperson:
Susan Pineda
Secretary:
Desiree Bans Guasch
Treasurer:
Prof. Beth Roxas
Members:
Prof. Roland Simbulan
Celia Valencia
Dra. Corazon de Jesus
Bobby Montemayor
Connie Dumdom
Legal Counsel:
Atty. Alexander Lacson
PESALAM Law Offices
Exec.Director: O'lola Ann Zamora-Olib
Field Coordinators/Volunteers:
Olongapo Area: Connie Dumdom &
Bobby Montemayor, etc
Pampanga Area: Dory Aguilar, Norma Austria, Emma
Razon, etc
