Manage environment not PR

As I suspected, the supposed plan to build a Sponge Bob underwater theme park was so preposterous it turned out to be “Fake News.”  In like manner, the alleged “Coal Ash” hazard in Limay, Bataan was wind driven dust clouds from lime ash and not a coal residue that causes skin diseases as purported by seven squatter families inside the Petron property reportedly living off unlawfully acquired scrap materials of Petron. According to local health officials it was a pre-existing case of scabies identified even before the “Coal ash” claims.

Interestingly, I just learned from a seminar on free range chickens that lime, lime stone and the likes are actually very useful material to combat bacteria and infectious diseases inside poultry and piggery farms. So the suggestion that the ash dust was hazardous was imaginary if not incendiary. All these of course is water under the bridge and “what kibitzers, local media and trouble makers” had meant to harm Petron actually turned out for, because Secretary Gina Lopez ended up authorizing the transport of the lime ash to another province to be used in making cement, over turning the opposition of a local Mayor for Petron to truck the material across or through their town. The Mayor probably wanted the trucks to buy “Pass Through Stickers” or pay a toll like the trucks used to pay for quarrying sand in Lahar country.

This small but annoying incident that was inflamatory and exaggerated also served as a catalyst to bring attention to several malingering issues that a number of investors and corporations have been hounded by in the Philippines.

First is the issue of unbalanced or unfair reporting by certain media outfits, that launch stories like “first strikes” without asking or including the side or statement of companies immediately portrayed at fault. Only after advertisers and lawyers start knocking or calling on their internal Ombudsman, does the other side of the story ever get told or toned down. Nickelodeon/Viacom International immediately looked like an irresponsible organization without the benefit of being asked. Petron looked like a company that did not care about the environment and the community just from the slant of one particular report. Last year, Mitsubishi Motors Corporation found themselves beaten and bullied almost on a daily basis on radio over the alleged SUA or Sudden Unintended Acceleration issue during the very month that MMC was to launch their new 2016 Model Montero resulting in serious profit loss for the company locally.

Unfortunately, complaining to management is like filing a malpractice suit. Media outfits have their internal sacred cows and short of a libel case, the next best thing that corporations can do is to “Re-channel” their resources to create stronger competition in the industry through selective advertising placements, use their political clout to push for stronger regulation and accountability through Congress, or get into the business of media like Manny Pangilinan has wisely done given his many businesses. All these take time and if the situation is to improve, those who have cause, the means, and the influence to push for more responsibility and accountability in media must invest or act now.

The second “Exposé” that came out of the Petron story was how a Mayor managed to block or disallow the transport of the lime ash from Limay, Bataan to a cement plant in a nearby province. The political blockade is something that happens everyday all over the Philippines and has gotten to the point that many people are wishing that President Rodrigo Duterte will finally “Man-up” on the matter and do an Oplan Double Barrel versus officials of local governments from Congressmen, Governors, Mayors down to Barangay Captains who extort money in exchange for permits to travel, permit to construct, permit to operate, business licenses and the likes. 

If Malacañang ordered the DILG Secretary to investigate how prevalent and how much money is demanded for “Pass through Stickers” beginning from barangays to towns, cities and provinces, President DU30 will surely be shocked at the “legalized” extortion. Not many people know that in the Calabar Zone alone, most cities and provinces issue their annual pass through stickers at a cost of 500 to 1,500 pesos per truck.  Time and again I have written about the S.O.P P150,000 to P300,000 demanded for “Special Use Permits” required by LGUs for each cell site that the Smart and Globe erects. In one famous city outside Metro Manila, local residents whisper fearfully that their Congressman and Mayor both hold one share or one luxury unit in every condo built in the city. They also get hold of certain “Franchises” for food or outlets.

There is no doubt that the Local Government Code has not only empowered good officials to develop their constituency, it has also emboldened corrupt officials to profit from the law and use it to their financial advantage.

The last point I would raise from last weeks “Fake News” and distraction is exactly that. The DENR should focus on problems that affect the greater population, can be controlled at source or monitored easily. When I lived and worked in the US I learned first hand how local Environmental Management officials monitored every construction site, visited areas for development and simply stood over peoples backs as they did work that could seriously affect the environment.

Officials of the DENR and the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) simply have to drive around to see all the mud tracked out by heavy equipment from future Condominium projects. That is a No-No because the mud could clog sewers and waterways. Cement mixers should seriously be monitored for illegally dumping excess cement pre-mix that they don’t want to gel inside their trucks. Along the Tomas Morato area, most of the sewage pipes are clogged by “Sebo” because of illegal dumping of kitchen waste or cooking oil. Many old trees are slowly being debarked and killed because street sweepers carve a ring of death around them to put an end to the leaves that add to their work. The real threats and bigger problems are right under the noses of the DENR here in Metro Manila. Start here and stop chasing after distractions. Better yet have a plan and stick to it.

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