TUBA, Benguet – The Cordillera office of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-CAR) issued a notice of violation to the J3S Hydro Power Corporation (JHPC) for alleged breach of its Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) relative to the ongoing construction of the company’s 5-megawatt mini hydro power plant along the historic Kennon road.
EMB-CAR regional technical director Jean Borromeo said that the company was found to have been unabatedly dumping debris from its ongoing earthmoving activities in the area on the Bued River that poses a serious threat to the water quality and the state of the environment in the place.
The notice had been received by the company last March 2024 but the company allegedly continues to dump its debris on the river that runs counter to existing environmental laws, rules and regulations.
Under the ECC issued to them, the JHPC is required to provide the disposal site for the debris generated from its earthmoving activities for the put up of the road network leading to the renewable energy plant site, among other facilities.
However, concerned residents in the area claimed that despite the issuance of the notice of violation to the company for the reported unabated dumping of debris on the river system, JHPC had been continuing their dumping for several weeks which might have a serious negative effect on the river and the quality of water.
Sources, who requested anonymity for personal reasons, called on the concerned government agencies, the city government and even law enforcers to closely monitor the ongoing earthmoving activities by the JHPC to ensure compliance to the ECC provisions and existing environmental laws, rules and regulations.
According to them, the community does not tolerate the activities of the company, especially the unabated dumping of debris on the river which is one of the major sources of their water supply and food.
The sources asserted that if such illegal dumping activity of the company will continue uncontrolled and unregulated, there will be a big possibility that water pollution will persist in the area that might affect their source of potable water and food.
Earlier, the company secured the free and prior informed consent (FPIC) of the indigenous peoples for the put up of a 5-megawatt minihydro power plant along the stretch of the Bued River.
Subsequently, the environment department, through the EMB-CAR, issued the requisite ECC for the project requiring JHPC to provide for the disposal facility for its generated debris from its earthmoving activities and not to dump these on the river system.
The company faces a fine of more or less PhP200,000 daily once it will be proven that it had been deliberately dumping its debris in the river in violation of the ECC provisions imposed for its earthmoving activities in the said area. By Dexter A. See