BAGUIO CITY – Mayor Mauricio G. Domogan wants the management of the Camp 7 batching plant to voluntarily relocate its units of equipment and facilities to a less populated area in compliance with its earlier commitment to avoid being the subject of numerous complaints from the neighbourhood.
The local chief executive informed media practitioners that he met with the owner of the batching plant who voluntarily committed to relocate the plant and that the grace period given by the local government for it to relocate already expired long time ago but it seems there is no plan to do so.
“The owner of the batching plant should not hide under the guise of a local court ruling that declared the local anti-batching plant ordinance unconstitutional to continue its operation in the area but his earlier commitment to locate the plant to a less populated area,”Domogan stressed.
While it is true that there is a court ruling that declared the city’s anti-batching plant ordinance unconstitutional, he pointed out there are other laws that could be used to close the operation of the batching plant amidst the management claims that it possesses the complete documents that justifies its operation in the area.
According to him, environmental laws covering air, water and noise pollution could be used against the owner of the batching plant, thus, the need for its immediate relocation considering that it is only using a local court decision to justify its operation in the area.
The local government appealed to the Court of Appeals (CA) the decision of a local court declaring the city’s anti-batching ordinance unconstitutional considering that it erred in rendering such ruling as the primary purpose of the local legislative measure is to prevent environmentally critical businesses from operating in the city which could significantly affect the state of the environment and the health of the people living in the surrounding areas.
Domogan ordered concerned personnel of the City Environment and Parks Management Office (CEPMO) and the City Health Services Office (CHSO) to already conduct a joint inspection in he facility to validate the numerous complaints from concerned residents being brought to his attention relative to the alleged pollution being caused by the operation of the batching plant within the area.
He claimed the batching plant management should be sensitive on the plight of the residents living within its area of operation by voluntarily relocating its facilities to a less populated and safer area to avoid being the subject of frequent complaints primarily due to the alleged nuisance it is causing in the area when it operates.
He asserted the batching plant management should follow the example set by other batching plant operators in the city that relocated their operations outside the city in compliance to the city’s anti-batching ordinance even if the measure was declared unconstitutional by a local court, saying that the management has the capacity to relocate the plant anywhere.
By Dexter A. See
