| Jun
1986 |
US
Department of Defense's Office of the Inspector General Inspections
completes a review of hazardous waste management by the military.
Their investigation reveals serious disposal problems in the Philippines. |
| Jun
1990 |
Principal
Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense David Berteau quoted as stating
that Subic is a toxic "horror story" and admitting that
the US military "poured tons of toxic chemicals into Subic Bay." |
| Sep
1991 |
US
Air Force completes an environmental review of Clark but does not
give a copy to the Philippine government. |
| Nov
1991 |
US
completes withdrawal from Clark Air Base. Documents on environmental
conditions are not given to the Philippine government. |
| Jan
1992 |
A
US General Accounting Office (GAO) report to the Senate Foreign Relations
Committee states that Air Force and Navy officials had identified
contaminated sites with "significant environmental damage"
and acknowledge that the cost of cleanup "could approach Superfund
proportions." The issue of liability is considered "moot"
with the Philippine Senate's rejection of the treaty. |
| Jun-Jul
1992 |
Dr.
Jorge Emmanuel, funded by the United Nations Development Program,
leads a team of Filipino scientists and students from the University
of the Philippines' National Institute of Chemistry in a preliminary
environmental investigation of the bases. Results are documented
in "Toxic Sunset." |
| Oct
1992 |
US
Navy completes a report identifying sites at Subic that require investigation
and potential cleanup; the report is not given to the Philippine government. |
| Nov
1992 |
US
vacates Subic Bay Naval Base. Documents on the environmental
conditions are not turned over to the Philippine government. |
| |
San
Francisco Examiner publishes lengthy articles by Benjamin Pimentel
and Louella Lasola exposing the problems of unexploded ordnance, leaking
underground storage tanks and fuel pipelines, and hazardous waste
at landfills around US bases in the Philippines. Christian Science
Monitor also reports of toxic wastes being left behind as the US military
withdraws. |
| May
1993 |
World
Health Organization (WHO) completes a mission report of its environmental
risk assessment and investigation program at Subic Bay, identifying
15 high priority areas, 9 medium priority areas, and 8 low priority
areas. |
| Jun
1993 |
Journalists
Benjamin Pimentel and Louella Lasola release "Toxic Sunset,"
28-minute video documentary sponsored by the Philippine Center for
Investigative Journalism. The video, based on their investigations
and the1992 studies by Filipino scientists, wins several awards at
international film festivals. |
| Aug
1993 |
Due
to pressure from Philippine and US NGOs, US Dept. of Defense releases
the September 1991 and October 1992 environmental reports on Clark
and Subic. |
| Nov
1993 |
CNN
airs a one-hour documentary "CNN Presents: A Military Mess"
on the environmental legacy of the cold war. It includes a 10-minute
segment on the toxic legacy in the Philippines. |
| Apr
1994 |
US
Embassy releases an additional 1,000 pages of existing information
on former bases. |
| Aug
1994 |
Soil
scientist Prof. Paul Bloom, geologist Alex Carlos, chemical engineer
Dr. Jorge Emmanuel, and environmental health physician Dr. Ted Schettler
release an environmental and health impact report on contaminated
sites at former bases in the Philippines, based on available reports,
site visits, and interviews. |
| Sep
1994 |
US
Working Group for Philippine Bases Cleanup (USWG) is formed in Washington
DC to coordinate a US campaign and provide support to the People's
Task Force. |
| Nov
1994 |
USWG
members Drs. Jorge Emmanuel and Ted Schettler testify before Philippine
House and Senate committees which pass minute resolutions calling
on President Fidel Ramos to discuss base cleanup issue with President
Bill Clinton during Clinton's state visit. |
| |
Clinton
visits the Philippines. At a joint press conference at Malacanang
Palace, Clinton denies any environmental problems but promises to
find "the facts now, and when we find them, deal then with the
facts as they are." |
| Jan
1995 |
Philippine
Department of Health releases result of 32 well samples taken inside
and adjacent to Clark, 5 of which tested positive for oil and grease. |
| |
Acting
Secretary of Health Dr. Jaime Tan writes to the Centers for Disease
Control requesting help to protect residents from contaminated wells
at Clark.
Aug: State Department gives clearance to the Centers for Disease
Control to respond to Sec. Tan's request for assistance but only if
the Philippines pays for all of CDC's travel expenses and consulting
fees. The new Secretary of Health does not pursue the request
for help. |
| Nov
1996 |
Subic
Bay Metropolitan Authority releases result of Woodward Clyde Environmental
Baseline Survey. Based on limited sampling, the study finds
different levels of contamination in many areas and declares
that there is no "widespread severe contamination" at Subic.
A study by a US-based environmental consulting firm would later find
that the limited test results point to the opposite conclusion. |
| |
US
Sec. Of State Warren Christopher, says in a meeting with Philippine
Foreign Secretary Domingo Siazon Jr. that the US is ready to assist
the Philippines in the cleanup of former American military facilities
provided that no legal action be taken against the US government.
Later, the State Department denies making such promises. |
| Sep
1997 |
Clark
Development Corporation releases a summary of Weston International
Environmental Baseline Study at Clark that identified 13 sites with
serious contamination. It recommended that 75% of the sites
be further investigated for groundwater contamination. |
| |
Local
government officials, NGOs, POs, and citizens of Pampanga form the
Metro Clark People's Task Force, an arm of the Manila-based Peoples
Task Force for Bases Cleanup. |
| Oct
1997 |
Due
to public pressure arising from contamination at Clark, the US Embassy
in Manila releases a box of documents about Clark in a highly publicized
move. The documents are found to be of limited value. |
| Nov
1997 |
Philippine
Dept. of Foreign Affairs Sec. Domingo Siazon raises the issue of Clark
contamination with US State Sec. Madeleine Albright during the APEC
meeting in Vancouver. An official letter is sent to Sec. Albright
specifically requesting technical assistance in confirming the Woodward-Clyde
and Weston studies and in establishing a joint US-RP task force to
assess contamination and formulate plans for remedial action. |
| Apr
1998 |
After
a state visit to the White House, Phil. Pres. Ramos announces the
formation of a US-RP joint bilateral task force to clean up the bases.
Siazon, in a letter to Rep. Tanada, claims US agrees to the formation
of the joint task force. |
| |
US
Sec. Albright finally responds to the November 1997 letter of Phil.
Sec. Siazon. The letter is unresponsive: it does not even mention
the problem of contamination in the former bases or the US-RP joint
bilateral task force. |
| Jun
1998 |
Jul:
Release of Albright's letter to the media sparks angry protests at
the US Embassy sponsored by the People's Task Force. |
| Aug
1998 |
Dept.
of Environment & Natural Resources Secretary Antonio Cerilles
confirms that toxic and hazardous wastes from the US military have
been found "in significant quantity" at Clark and Subic.
He formally requests Siazon to convey to the US a request for assistance
in a cleanup. |
| Sep
1998 |
DFA
(Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs?) finalizes a Cleanup Action
Plan to dispose of toxic waste and mitigate contamination. |
| Oct
1998 |
About
two dozen hazardous waste barrels believed to contain solvents, mixed
oils, tars, adhesives, and aqueous film forming foam are discovered
in the basement of a home after leaks and spread of chemical vapors
causes nausea and other illnesses in the area. Philippine government
officials take custody of the barrels which are later found dumped
in an uncontrolled landfill. |
| Nov
1998 |
Dr.
Rosalie Bertell of the Canada-based International Institute of Concern
for Public Health visits the Philippines and announces the results
of the health survey at Clark. |
| Dec
1998 |
USWG
member Saul Bloom testified before joint committees of the Philippine
House and Senate. |
| |
New
York Times editorial on Christmas Day cites toxic chemicals and asbestos
dumped in unsecured landfills in the Philippines by the US military
and diseases among residents as examples of the problems left by the
US military upon withdrawal from overseas bases. New York Times
calls for American accountability and new laws to fund repair of environmental
damage. |
| Feb
1999 |
Mennonite
Central Committee (Washington, DC) sends a letter to Sec. Albright
calling on the US to remove the threat to health and environment at
former bases in the Philippines. |
| Apr
1999 |
Christina
Leaño and Amy Toledo, representing the People's Task Force, meet with
State Department Philippine Desk Officer Bill Moore and present 1,943
signatures calling on the US to take responsibility for cleanup.
A phone and fax barrage to the State Department takes place on the
same day. |
| |
Philippine
Commission for Human Rights Chair Aurora Recina files the case of
421 families at Clark before the United Nations Human Rights Convention
in Geneva. |
| |
Deputy
Undersecretary of Defense for Environmental Security Sherri Goodman
responds to a letter from Sen. Loren Legarda-Leviste (Chair of the
Senate Committee on the Environment) to Sen. John Chafee (Chair of
the US Senate Committee on the Environment and Public Works).
Goodman insists that the US has no further obligations in the Philippines. |
| Jun
1999 |
Senator
Paul Wellstone of Minnesota introduces an amendment to the Defense
Authorization Bill requiring the DoD to disclose any existing information
on environmental contamination at former US bases in foreign countries.
The amendment is weakened by several loopholes as it goes to House
and Senate committees. |
| Jul
1999 |
The
Philippine Senate's Committee on the Environment, chaired by Sen.
Loren Legarda-Leviste, conducts hearings on the toxics issue. |
| Feb
2000 |
"Toxic
warrior" Crizel Jane Valencia dies of leukemia caused by contaminated
groundwater from Clark, at the age of 6. Many other people at
Clark and Subic have contracted diseases resulting from exposure to
contaminants. |
