SM Megamall, five others fined P10M for pollution
By Jocelyn Uy, Kristine L. Alave
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 21:38:00 04/04/2008
MANILA, Philippines -- SM Megamall and six other establishments, including two in Cebu, have been slapped with fines totaling about P10 million for alleged violating the country’s anti-pollution laws.
Environment Secretary Lito Atienza said on Friday that the establishments were polluting rivers and creeks in their respective areas.
In Metro Manila, SM Megamall on Edsa, Mandaluyong City, was fined P5.07 million while Euro Swiss Foods Inc. in San Antonio, Makati City, was ordered to pay P1.76 million. Both were penalized for allegedly disposing wastewater into the Pasig River in violation of Presidential Decree 984 and the Clean Water Act.
The two companies, however, said they were puzzled about their inclusion on the list, saying they had long settled pollution issues with the DENR.
The DENR’s Pollution Adjudication Board also ordered the Cebu-based shoe company Rikio Southeast Asia Inc. to pay P1.03 million and the Mandaue-based Profood International Inc. P810,000 for allegedly polluting the Candao-an and Mantuyong Creeks, respectively.
Pacific Cement Philippines in Surigao City and the White House Oil Mill Inc. in Pagadian City were fined P160,000 and P1.06 million, respectively.
Records of the Pasig River Rehabilitation Commission attributed 30 percent of the pollution in the river, linking Manila Bay and Laguna de Bay, to industrial wastes. The commission said household waste remained the main polluter.
Atienza said in a statement that “no single violator will be spared from DENR’s enforcement of environment laws, especially on water pollution.”
Earlier, Atienza called on local government units to beef up their campaign against illegal settlers, particularly those near bodies of water, to restore the quality of water basins in the country.
Meanwhile, the management of SM Megamall said in a statement it would pay the P5.07 million fine as part of its corporate social responsibility.
The company, however, said the results of the DENR study were based on the mall’s operations in its first few years. The mall, which opened in 1992, has since remedied the problems, the statement added.
Euro Swiss, on the other hand, said they were “contesting” the allegation.
“As far as we know, the issue had been resolved a long time ago. Moreover, we have rehabilitated our water treatment system and our company has been religiously complying with the standards set by DENR,” it said in a statement issued to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, parent company of INQUIRER.net.
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