Samar execs face sanctions for dumping waste at sea

TACLOBAN CITY, Philippines — Officials of the city government in Catbalogan, Samar should be penalized for violating the Philippine Clean Water Act, according to the regional office of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).

In a decision dated Sept. 13, EMB  regional director Leticia Maceda said investigation showed that sewage sludge and untreated waste water from a public market were discharged in Maqueda Bay.

Maceda said the violations would be raised before the pollution adjudication board of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

The EMB said the city government should “make good its commitment” to stop discharging waste water from public market operations in the absence of a waste water treatment facility as well as from dumping sewage sludge or solid waste into the sea.

The probe was based on a complaint filed by lawyer Plaridel Oscar Bohol in May.

The EMB said the city government did not refute its findings when it issued a notice of violation on June 28.

The agency also cited a technical conference on Aug. 13, during which Edgardo Guya of the city environment and natural resources office admitted that a “massive cleanup and demolition drive,” including the removal of illegal vendors, were initiated. He said ambulant vendors and commercial establishments were also advised to observe cleanliness.

Pending the construction of a sewerage treatment plant, the city government will use bio-enzyme to treat waste water, Guya added.

The EMB said Guya’s statement was a ”tacit admission” of the violations.