cleanup funding for Philippines bases

[Nick Morgan <nmorgan@igc.org>]

"People's Task Force for Base Clean-up" <basecln@psdn.org.ph>
RP execs in US seeking funds for base cleanup

Philippine Daily Inquirer, Thursday, December 11, 1997

RP EXCES in US seeking funds for base clean-up

CLARK FIELD, Pampanga -- The Philippine Embassy in Washington D.C. told
Clark Development Corp. officials that the embassy is tapping funds for
technical assistance for the cleanup of the former Clark Air base of toxic
wastes.

Ambassador Raul Rabe, in a letter to Romeo David, CDC president, said the
embassy has received a copy of the Weston International study on the toxic
wastes in Clark.

"(The) embassy is in the process of looking for possible sources for
technical assistance on the cleanup (of Clark)," Rabe said.

Rabe said the US Agency for International development is among the possible
sources of funding. USAID supports activities that promote economic growth
and programs protecting the environment.

Weston's environmental baseline study identitied 12 potentially
contaminated sites in various areas inside Clark Special Economic Zone, a
former US military installations, which could be hazardous to he ecozone
workers and residents of surrounding communities.

Rabe said he embassy is "also coordinating efforts with other grouops on
the formation of a joint US Philippine Task Force."

One group is the Environmental Technology Evaluation CEnter which has
proposed a memorandum of understanding to establish a program that will
identify and verify the performance of beneficial environmental
technologies for Clark's use.

Another group that is willing to help Clark in the cleanup is the Civil
Engineering Research Foundation which is headed by harvey Bernstein.

Both groups are affiliated with the American Society of Civil Engineers.
In case he groups decided to help in the cleanup activities, "these shall
be done at no expense to CDC," Rabe said.

David earlier met with Eugene Mrtin, US Embassy deputy chief of mission, to
ask the US government for assistance in the cleanup of Clark of toxic wastes.