MAYOR Jose Maria Alonso of Pontevedra confirmed the issuance of a cease and desist order (CDO) by the Pollution Adjudication Board of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources against Roxol Bioenergy Corp. in Barangay Nagasi, La Carlota City due to water pollution.

The CDO is in response to the pollution complaint of about 800 residents mostly fishermen from Barangay 1,2, 3, Canroma, San Juan and Don Salvador Benedicto in Pontevedra against the bioethanol plant.

The residents believe that Roxol's waste polluted the Marayo River that caused a fish kill.

The CDO will stay until Roxol complies with the required pollution mitigation measures, Alonso said.

Last January 4, Roxol temporarily stopped its operation after the pollution issue was raised against them.

The bioethanol plant, which started operations in July 2014, uses molasses, a byproduct of sugar production as feedstock.

Roxol Bioenergy, a unit of listed sugar miller Roxas Holdings Inc. (RHI), has the capacity to produce 30 million liters of ethanol a year or around 100,000 liters a day.

In Negros Occidental, RHI produces sugar at Central Azucarera De la Carlota Inc. in La Carlota, and also holds a 45-percent equity in the Hawaiian-Philippine Company in Silay City.