Environment Secretary Gina Lopez on Wednesday expressed her willingness to facilitate soonest the issuance of a permit that would allow Petron Corp. to transfer the ash stockpile released from its refinery to a cement plant also located within the Petron Bataan Refinery (PBR) complex in Limay town.

Residents have been complaining of the volume of ash coming from the sprawling refinery complex that caused some of them to fall ill, prompting the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), a line bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, to issue notices of violation against PBR and SMC Consolidated Power Corp. (SMCCPC).

Both Petron and SMCCPC are subsidiaries of San Miguel Corp. (SMC), one of the country's most diversified and biggest conglomerates.

"I will ask [SMC president] Ramon Ang to submit an application to transport the ash, so that we can process it immediately,” Lopez told residents during a dialogue.

Ang reportedly said that Petron would gladly move the deposits of what he said was lime powder, not ash, to a plant within the PBR for use as raw material in manufacturing cement. He said this would address the problem of dust complained by residents.

Lopez said she would exert all effort to ensure that the PBR and SMCCPC "will comply with environmental laws and not cause people to suffer."

“I am sure that Mr. Ang would not do something that would jeopardize a billion-dollar operation. I commit and make sure that you (the community) would be okay,” Lopez assured Limay residents.

She said the DENR would also coordinate with the Department of Health regarding the medical conditions reported by residents.

The EMB, in an order dated January 9, directed SMCCPC to explain why the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for its Limay facility should not be revoked or cancelled due to the ash spill. The company has until January 13 to submit its reply.

Also on January 9, the EMB issued a separate order to PBR to "stop from dumping newly-generated bottom ash" in the area while the ash spill incident is being investigated.

Meanwhile, EMB Acting Director Jacqueline Caancan said the bureau would have to make sure the ash being released from the PBR is not toxic.

“If found non-hazardous, the materials could be dumped in a sanitary landfill or allowed to be disposed of through other equally safe means," Caancan said.

"Otherwise, the company would have to secure a permit to transport from the EMB," she added. ###

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Published: 12 January 2017

If the underwater theme park would cause the destruction of corals, right away, I will say no way. The fishermen need corals. The corals are the home for the fish, and some of our corals have shells and sponges that can cure cancer. I will never allow our biodiversity to be killed for money that some people want to make.

The Philippines is a country of seven thousand islands, which has the highest endemism per unit area in the entire world, while Palawan is the number one island destination in the planet. It has rich biodiversity and lots of ecotourism potentials that should be primarily tapped by the Filipino people for the Filipino people.

In any case, whatever decision that the DENR will make shall be filtered and anchored on social justice, which means that the marine resources of Palawan should benefit the greater majority. ###

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Published: 12 January 2017

The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has denied allegations that there were irregularities in the procurement of 48 units of air quality monitoring stations (AQMS) installed across Metro Manila and other parts of the country.

In-charge of EMB’s Office of the Director and its Concurrent Assistant Director Jacqueline Caancan said the purchase of such equipment was aboveboard and free of corruption, noting that the agency followed every step of the procurement and bidding rules.

"The procurement of said equipment went through the standard bidding procedures conducted by our Bids and Awards Committee and acquired through competitive public bidding,” Caancan said.

She added: "The procurement is in accordance with Republic Act No. 9184, or the Government Procurement Reform Act."

Caancan was reacting to newspaper reports claiming that the procurement of the equipment, supposedly worth P1 billion, was riddled with anomalies and irregularities.

The reports refer to the EMB's purchase of AQMS from 2011 to 2015, composed of both Open Path Differential Optical Absorption Spectroscopy (DOAS), and Particulate Matter Stations (PM 10/ PM 2.5).

Caancan clarified that all these equipment, purchased for EMB Central and Regional Offices, cost only around P290 million, and not P1 billion.

Meanwhile, Engr. Jean Rosete, chief of EMB Air Quality Management Section, belied claims that the technology used for the AQMS acquired by the EMB was already obsolete and not intended for use in Philippine setting.

"The Open Path DOAS procured by the EMB falls under the equivalent methods certified by the United States Environmental Protection Agency (US EPA)”, Rosete explained.

“The Open Path DOAS is one of the advanced technologies that can be used for the country for ambient monitoring. The technology offers spatial representation of a geographical area and with probability of capturing measurements of local sources of emissions. The aforecited AQMS and equipment are also five times lower in cost in terms of maintenance than the other technologies,” she added. ###

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Published: 09 January 2017

The regional office of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in Central Luzon has ordered SMC Consolidated Power Corp. (SMCCPC) to stop any activity inside its coal-fired power plant in Limay, Bataan in the wake of an ash spill that has reportedly caused several residents to fall ill.

It also directed the nearby Petron Bataan Refinery (PBR) to "stop from dumping newly-generated bottom ash" in the area while the ash spill incident is being investigated.

The two directives, both dated Jan. 6, 2017, were issued by Regional Director Lormelyn Claudio of EMB Region 3, which is based in San Fernando City, Pampanga.

EMB, a line bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, is responsible for the implementation of various environmental laws, rules and regulations, including Presidential Decree No. 1586 or the law establishing the Environmental Impact Assessment System that requires an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) to ensure that a development project will not cause adverse environmental impacts.

In a Notice of Alleged Violation issued to SMCCPC, the EMB wanted the power firm to explain why the ECC for its Limay facility should not be revoked or cancelled due to the ash spill.

"Notice is hereby served in connection with the dumping of bottom ash at [SMCCPC's] facility in Lima, Bataan. This allegedly caused unmitigated spread of ash which affected the health conditions of the residents in the host community," the notice read.

The EMB is giving SMCCPC a period of 7 days from receipt of the notice to explain why it should not be penalized under P.D. 1586, and why its ECC should not be revoked or suspended.

"Similarly, you are hereby ordered to stop from further undertaking any activity while the matters are being investigated," the EMB told SMCCPC.

The bureau also ordered the company to attend the technical conference scheduled on Jan. 9 at the EMB Region 3 office in Pampanga.

"Failure to attend will qualify you to be considered in default and the case shall be resolved based in evidence on record," the EMB warned SMCCPC.

Meanwhile, the EMB said the latest order against PBR was based on the notice of violation it issued against the oil facility last Dec. 28 when the ash spill in Limay was first reported.

The EMB said it was inclined to issue a new order against PBR "considering the most recent reports and information on the alleged skin diseases caused by the dumping of bottom ash at [SMCCPC's] facility."

SMCCPC and Petron Corp. are both subsidiaries of San Miguel Corp., one of the country's most diversified and biggest conglomerates.

Petron Corp. operates the PBR, which is the largest integrated crude oil refinery and petrochemicals complex in the country. ###

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Published: 07 January 2017

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has welcomed the appointment of Director Theresa Mundita Lim of the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) to the advisory body of the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), calling it a recognition of the country's efforts to conserve and protect its rich biodiversity.

The CBD, which secretariat is based in Montreal, Canada, recently appointed Lim to be the next head of the Subsidiary Body on Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTTA), an intergovernmental body that gives scientific advice to the CBD’s Conference of Parties or COP.

CBD is an international legally-binding treaty with three main goals: conservation of biodiversity; sustainable use of biodiversity; fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. Its overall objective is to encourage actions which will lead to a sustainable future.

Lim, who will serve a two-year term starting this year, was appointed during a recent conference dubbed as COP13 held last December in Cancun, Mexico. One of her main duties is to prepare a set of recommendations for the COP14 to be held in Egypt in 2018.

DENR Secretary Gina Lopez, who had endorsed Lim to the post, said that the appointment of the BMB chief to the CBD would “allow the Philippines to show how its biodiversity programs can benefit humanity.”

“Biodiversity is the wealth of the planet. If we keep it alive, our planet will see the light of day. In the Philippines, our aim is to explore biodiversity in a way that benefits the surrounding communities,” Lopez said.

She added: "The environment is not only land, air, and water, but also people. If the people do not benefit in a sustainable manner, then our conservation efforts can be considered a failure."

Lopez’s statements jive with the objectives of the Cancun Declaration on Mainstreaming the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity for Well-Being, which was signed during the COP13.

The declaration recognizes the value of biodiversity to the “lifeblood of economies,” which include tourism, agriculture, forestry and fisheries.

It also calls for urgent, strong and responsible actions to ensure the survival of the natural capital, biological wealth and healthy ecosystems that support humanity’s development and well-being.

Lim, as SBSTTA chair, will also advise or recommend to the COP’s other bodies the assessment of the status of biodiversity and other measures taken to successfully implement the convention, if necessary.

The BMB chief is a graduate of veterinary medicine from the University of the Philippines. Her expertise and work experience in championing wildlife protection and biodiversity conservation in the Philippines has made her a very able country representative in various international fora.

The BMB under Lim’s watch has improved conservation programs, including management and sustainable financing of protected areas and key biodiversity areas nationwide. ###

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Published: 06 January 2017