Wednesday, October 11, 2006 Mercado: Getting back at Angelo Reyes By Ram Mercado First Person
ANGELES City residents who used to delight in and rejoice over their good location, such as Villa Teresa, Villa Angelina, Villa Gloria, Carmenville, Timog Park, Sunset Estate/ Mansions, Holy Family Subdivision, and the area around Royal Meadows, and the whole Cutcut community are suffering in silence -- and seemed helpless -- as they endure the daily odor pollution caused by hog farms in nearby Sta. Cruz, Porac.
The devastating stench is released at early evening or at down as high pressure hoses sweep out pig manure and accumulated urine of big hog farms. Like a curse on the residents affected, the foul odor penetrate through air-conditioned rooms.
The public nuisance caused by the piggery farms in Sta. Cruz and Manibaug has not been addressed by the owners of the hog firms that can bribe their way out of this scourge.
There is no other reason why people from the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) could not stop the controllable pollution. The DENR people in Region 3 always go through the motion of investigating the piggeries' criminal negligence in their operations, with commendable recommendations and issuances of warnings.
After the public pressure on the DENR has calmed down with the hog farms making a seeming compliance, the hog farms are back again, discarding pollution measures and disregarding agreed action to stop the stench.
Only government regulatory bodies on the take are known to mould into this stereotyped inspection, warning, without lasting effect system of policy implementation. Or are they plain negligent?
The foul odor, when swept by northeasterly winds, is a great leveler -- with families in hovels and those in posh mansion suffering together. The poor have the tolerance, but not the immunity from peripheral physical inflictment on both social classes. The rich gets distressed while eating their steak, the poor are distracted by the ill wind that pollutes their sardine meals.
Sometime ago when the Kilusan Kontra Amoy thought they succeeded in having the piggery owners comply with anti-pollution measures, residents had a brief spell of relief. But it is Christmas time now.
Are the EMB agents in the take? The crusaders asked recently when the resurgence of the nuisance came strong and regularly. Well, it is near Christmas season, regulators have nothing to lose by demonstrating goodwill to the regulated.
Porac residents should ask their municipal officials (the mayor unfortunately is not a re-electionist and would care less) to demand pollution control equipment on the piggeries.
Angeles residents, however, know what to do: they will not vote Angelo Reyes, DENR secretary, to the Senate if the former general would seek that post.
People believe there is no way by which the suspect Environmental Management people in Region 3 can be administratively charged or sanctioned for their failure to uphold ecology and anti-pollution regulations in their area. Wake up Secretary Angelo Reyes!
There is always the 2007 elections, and Reyes to punish for the sins of his people in this part of the country.
The DENR had successfully dismantled an Apalit fermentation plant for violations of environmental laws. Reyes can succeed enforcing the pollution control measures in Sta. Cruz, Porac. The piggery farms are visible, culpable and answerable culprits to the old evil.
Aggrieved residents admired business leader Ruperto Cruz and Atty. Juanito Velasco and remember the great effort of the two in fighting the polluting pig farms, but only temporarily, alas.
Velasco, in his sickbed in Sta. Cruz, raged helplessly every time the piggeries released the lung- punishing manure to their outlets, untreated.
His family calmed him down during his angry anxiety to prevent his aggravation. The anti-pollution crusader died under that punishment.
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A visibly confused Board Member JQ Quiambao has expressed his support to the administration of Governor Mark Lapid, following reports he was breaking away from the governor after a tiff with Mark's trusted aide Jun Castro. Wardy Chu, BM, second district, assailed unnamed figures who are "pushing their own personal interest" in creating disunity between the board members and the Lapids.
Is Vice Yeng Guiao a suspect, Mr. Chu?
To solve Jun Castro's problem as a non-employee, why, he can be appointed as security officer to the governor to legitimize his presence and official actions in the Capitol. Or appoint him as peso-a-year consultant for project coordination.
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