SABLAN, Benguet – Embattled local officials and residents are outraged on the continued operation of a questionable batching plant established by a Manila-based contractor in sitio Monglo, barangay Bayabas that causes nuisance within the nearby community and poses a serious threat to the state of the environment in the said area.
The concerned local officials and residents questioned why concerned government agencies cannot stop the operation of this batching plant owned by the Philippine Electrical Supply Corporation (PHESCO) when its violations of the pertinent provisions of Republic Act (RA) 9275, the Philippine Clean Water Act, has already been documented and that the company already been issued a cease and desist order by no less than the Cordillera office of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-CAR).
The sources allege that despite the documented violations of the company, the batching plant continues to be operational to the detriment of the health and safety of the people living in the nearby areas which is a direct affront to the capability of the government to exercise its powers for the welfare of the people.
According to the sources, even if the company regularly washes the batching equipment, the spillage still flows down and pollutes the waterways below the plant which is evidently in violation of existing environmental laws.
Further, the residents also questioned the refusal of the company to relocate the batching plant to a suggested area which is away from the houses of people.
The sources argued that it seems that the contractor is now the one allegedly dictating what should be done within its area of operation and that existing environmental laws, rules and regulations are being blatantly disregarded in the batching plant’s operations just to allow the completion of the projects of the contractor not only in the road opening in the area but also in other parts of Baguio and Benguet.
Moreover, the sources pointed out that the operation of the batching plant within a populated area serves as a precedent to the greater disadvantage of the residents living in the area because of the pollution and inconvenience caused by the nuisance emanating from the plant machinery.
The residents challenged responsible government agencies and the municipal government to firmly decide, be done without fear or favor, to remove the batching plant from its current site and mandate the operator to compensate for damages inflicted by its non-stop operation to the lives of the people in the area and for the damage to the environment it has caused.
Local officials also expressed their disappointment on the alleged failure of the contractor to listen to the plight of the affected residents by claiming there are only a few people in the area that are against the operation of the batching plant and that those who are against are land owners whose properties were not the ones chosen to serve as the area that will be occupied by the batching plant machineries.
