Balanga bishop alarmed by dockyard near school

ORION, Bataan—Balanga Bishop Ruperto Santos has opposed the construction of a dockyard near a school in the coastal village of Sta. Elena here, citing the serious health threat on students there.

Santos said the ongoing construction at the 9-hectare property near the shores of Sta. Elena proceeded without consulting its neighbor, St. Francis Catholic School.

The dockyard is being developed by a Manila-based firm, Orion Dockyard Inc. Work on the site began in June last year.

The company has not issued any statement.

“[The dockyard] is at the back of St. Francis Catholic School. The diocese [of Balanga] is very much alarmed and worried with what has been done there in Sta. Elena, with [the] construction of the dockyard. Our reasoning: [It poses] danger [on the] safety of children, [and work there disturbs] their studies and [affects their] health because of sand and copper blasting,” the bishop said in a text message.

Santos also referred to the destruction of a mangrove forest in the area, for which Orion Mayor Antonio Raymundo complained to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in December last year.

Citing the loss of nearly 4,000 mangrove trees, the bishop said the diocese and its clergy “stand firm … in protecting our lands and seas.”

Sister Paola, St. Francis Catholic School’s mother superior, said school officials and teachers had complained to the Sta. Elena village government that the company had begun construction work without a public hearing.

“For us, nothing we do would stop the project. It’s already there. What we don’t understand is why we were informed about the project only now,” she said.

She said teachers had complained about dust that penetrated the teaching staff’s living quarters as well as the noise created by heavy equipment.

The dockyard has divided the community.

Carlos Leoveras, a fisherman near the project site, defended the dockyard. “Why criticize the project when it pours investments into our village,” he said.

He said he and other fishermen had been relocated to new homes in another village.

The municipal aquatic and fishery council in Orion said about 3,000 fishermen would be displaced, following the loss of the mangrove trees that served as a fish sanctuary for years.

The DENR granted Orion Dockyard Inc. an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) for its back-filling activities, but not for clearing the mangrove forest. Greg Refraccion, Inquirer Central Luzon