NO BACKING down on Kabuyao.
In an official statement, the Baguio Water District asserted their allegations in the complaint filed by authorized representatives Engr. Felino Lagman and general manager Engr. Salvador Royeca before the Pollution Adjudication Board for violations of the Clean Water Act of 2004 are duly supported by evidences.
Specifically, the complaint was filed against Baguio City Representative Nicasio Aliping Jr., RUA Construction, Goldrich Construction and BLC Construction and Aggregates for allegedly undertaking earth-moving activities in Kabuyao, which led to the destruction of BWD's Amliang sources and siltation of transmission lines.
Section 27 A of the Clean Air Act provides prohibition of "discharging, disposing or causing to be deposited material of any kind directly or indirectly into the water bodies or along the margins of any surface water" which may be washed into the surface water by storm, floods and any other such as landslides and erosion.
Likewise Section 27 H prohibits development projects in violation of the Presidential Degree 1586 known as the as the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement System.
"It takes exception to the other alleged causes of the contamination and siltation," the official statement stated.
"Mention has been made of a DPWH road construction, small scale mining and farming as the causes, (but) BWD is confident that at the opportune time and before the appropriate forum that it can show that these are not the sources of the problem," the statement added.
On July 31, Aliping sought an audience with the BWD Board and Management Staff to discuss the issue.
The meeting gave both parties an opportunity to elaborate their positions, which came to a recognition "the pending case must be pursued to its conclusion without prejudice to the institution of mitigating measures that he (Aliping) may propose subject to the approval of BWD."
Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau earlier clarified after an ocular inspection in Kabuyao that factors, which contributed to the contamination and destruction of the water sources are the excavation in Aliping's property; the road construction, which the solon denied involvement in; a DPWH road widening project; small scale mining activities; vegetable farming; and residential housing.
The Amliang water sources in Kabuyao remain inoperable, as it needs a massive cleanup operation to clear up boulders in the springs as well as the silted transmission lines.