THE City Government of La Carlota has lifted the cease and desist order (CDO) it issued against Roxol Bioenergy Corporation (RBC), a subsidiary of sugar and ethanol producer Roxas Holdings Inc. (RHI), situated at Barangay Nagasi.
The lifting order was issued on Tuesday, barely 15 days after the CDO was issued on November 16 amid reports on the obnoxious odor allegedly emanating from the plant.
In a letter to Luis Villa-Abrille, executive vice president and chief operating officer for ethanol of RHI, a copy of which was obtained by SunStar Bacolod, Mayor Luis Jalandoni III said the lifting of CDO is based on the results of the inspection and verification of the mitigating measures the firm has implemented and committed to implement since the time of closure.
Jalandoni emphasized that the lifting of the order does not mean that RBC shall ignore its earlier commitments and strict compliance of the requirements imposed under the Environmental Clearance Certificate.
The City Government also reminded the firm that the Joint Inspection Team will conduct random and mandatory inspection and monitoring of the plant’s facilities every two months to ensure that incidents like occurrence of “odor” will be prevented.
“It may submit a monthly report to the City Mayor’s Office through the Environment and Natural Resources Office its pollution mitigation measures,” he said, adding that “our office will not hesitate to issue another CDO if the condition recurs.”
RBC assured the City Government and the residents that it remains committed to ensuring the health of the people and in protecting the environment.
As part of its measures to address the residents’ complaints on odor, RBC conducted a medical mission last week.
At least 300 residents of the said village availed of free consultation in collaboration with RBC’s sugar subsidiary Central Azucarera de la Carlota Inc.
Also, the firm turned over four nebulizer machines and one sphygmomanometer to the village, with boxes of nebules, multivitamins, and medicines for cough and fever relief.
In September last year, the local government also issued a 30-day suspension order against the RBC after its plant emitted a foul odor affecting eight villages of the city.
In following weeks, the CDO was lifted after the foul odor coming from the plant was addressed.
Upon the lifting of the order, the plant’s operations were still suspended due to maintenance repairs of its plant. It resumed operations in October 2016.