San Juan City, Metro Manila: The City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) of San Juan City, Metro Manila continued its crackdown on establishments violating national and local environmental laws as it called on the barangay officials to help the department in warning or apprehending and penalizing the violators.
In a move considered to be the first-ever in the city, CENRO, with the help of the barangay officials of Brgy. Addition Hills led by Chairperson Ramon Nakpil, caused the closure of the laboratory activities of China Certification & Inspection Group Phils. which is located in the said barangay.
CENRO chief and former City councilor Dante Santiago said a videotaped copy of harmful smoke being emitted from the company’s premises was forwarded by his office in October 2010 to the Environmental Management Bureau-NCR of the DENR.
Santiago, in his October 19, 2010 letter to Wang Yong Hai of the said company warned that there was smoke, and foul smell originating from the premises. Other observations noted by the CENRO technical staff were:
- Chemical odor was observed at the main laboratory but minimally; there was stronger odor of chemicals at the storage room at the right end of the laboratory building.
- There appears no wastewater treatment facility
- The chimney or smoke outlet appears unequipped with filter or anything to avoid pollution
- The laboratory and storage building occupied the easement of the Ermitaño creek
Director Roberto Sheen of EMB, in December 2010, imposed penalties against China Certification for failing to secure a “Permit to Operate” for its electric dryers, electric hot plates, electric furnaces, grinder, pulveriser and optical emission spectrometer. Finally, last February, the representative of the said company signed an undertaking/commitment that “the company will stop its laboratory operations” in the said barangay.
The San Juan Business Permits and License Office and Task Force Disiplina have also issued various violation tickets to China Certification.
Penalties and fines have been meted against other persons and companies with violations ranging from like illegal cutting of trees, illegal disposal of wastewater into the waterways and illegal disposal of garbage and others.
“Mayor Guia Gomez and the CENRO will keep pursuing these callous individuals and establishments who are considered enemies of the environment,” Santiago added.