DENR-EMB clears SMC on use of Bataan ash dump facilities

MANILA, Philippines - Latest inspections made by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) revealed San Miguel Corp. (SMC) no longer operates its bottom ash dump facilities in its Petron Bataan refinery complex.

In its latest inspection report during a Multipartite Monitoring Team (MMT) meeting, the DENR-Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in Central Luzon said both the temporary ash disposal facilities of PLT Cove and SMC are now covered with soil, compacted and sprinkled with water to prevent ash dispersion and deposition to nearby communities.

The report also showed the PLT Cove area had already been planted with frog grass.

In the same meeting, SMC subsidiary Petron Corp. said it has hauled out around 3,550 metric tons (MT) of ash and 7,950 MT have been treated.

Treated ash is then transported to SMC subsidiary Northern Cement Consolidated in Pangasinan, where it will be used as material for cement manufacturing.

Petron said it has laid down its remediation and rehabilitation plans for the PLT Cove area, mitigation measures for odor nuisance, and relocation of affected families.

The Bataan provincial government gave assurance there would be available housing for 250 affected families within the next three to five months. Bataan Gov. Albert Garcia said informal settlers within SMC’s buffer zone would be given priority.

The establishment of an Environmental Guarantee Fund (EGF) was also discussed during the MMT meeting.

The DENR said the fund — which would be sourced from the EGF of Petron and SMC — would be used for epidemiological study or health assessment that would be done in affected communities.

The EMB Central Luzon, on the other hand, will continue to assess the environmental quality on affected communities in Limay.

DENR-EMB acting director Jacqueline Caancan said the results of the assessment would help determine effectiveness of anti-pollution interventions in the area and ensure compliance to environmental policies by those concerned.

Meanwhile, a series of tests have been done to ensure the air and water in the area are safe — including a 24-hour monitoring for volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and hydrogen sulfide which showed these were not detected at the sampling stations.