Council probes complaints vs cornstarch firm

THE City Council on Tuesday has passed a resolution investigating the cornstarch company in Daliao, Toril, which has been the subject of residents' complaints for emitting foul odor.

This developed after the City Council received a written complaint from the nearby communities about the nuisance that JULU Cornstarch Corporation has caused especially the foul odor from the plant's effluents.

In his privilege speech, Davao City Councilor Bernard Al-ag, chair of the City Council committee on health, said that a coordination with the City Health Office (CHO) showed that waste waters from the plant indeed emit foul odor.

"The sanitary inspectors also reported that JULU management admitted this unfortunate event and said that the same is due to some mechanical problems in their waste water treatment facility," Al-ag said in his speech.

Al-ag, however, said the management of JULU and the CHO are in close coordination to solve the problem.

Al-ag said this is not the first time this kind of incident happened adding that the same complaint was brought to the City Government's attention a few years back.

"This recurring problem has originated from the same operation of JULU. I believe it is just sound that JULU should formulate more effective and efficient solutions to this problem. A "band-aid" solution has proven to be inadequate to protect the welfare of Davao City most especially those communities affected by its operation," Al-ag said.

He said JULU management should propose to the City Government a more feasible and long-term solution to prevent the problem from recurring.