West Tower residents accuse FPIC of dumping wastewater into city sewage system

MANILA, Philippines—Residents of West Tower Condominium and its immediate community in Barangay Bangkal, Makati City have accused the Lopez-owned First Philippine Industrial Corp. and its contractors of continuously discharging fuel-contaminated water directly into the city’s sewage system.

In a letter Wednesday to Engr. Roberto Sheen, regional director of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources- Environmental Management Bureau, some 250 residents were demanding that all wastewater discharges into the sewer be immediately stopped.

From the sewer, the wastewater goes directly to Estero Tripa de Galina, which traverses the cities of Makati, Pasay and Parañaque, they added.

“We demand a thorough investigation of FPIC and all its contractors with the end view of prosecuting the guilty parties who initiated and continue to discharge these pollutants in our community,” the residents said, adding that they also want a full investigation of government officials and agencies that allowed the situation to happen.

The residents of the condominium were forced out of their units last year by an oil leak in the building’s basement. The leak, which is still being cleaned up, was later traced to a nearby oil pipeline owned and operated by FPIC.

The residents also expressed disappointment over Sheen’s apparent disregard of their problem, which they brought to his attention earlier.

In their Aug. 5, 2011 letter to Sheen, the residents pointed out several “irregular” situations they have been witnessing in the community.

They claimed that Bensan Industries Inc. has been dumping fuel-contaminated water from West Tower basement directly into the Estero Tripa de Galina. They pointed out that when Bensan was their contractor, Sheen issued a cease and desist order against it.

“But now that Bensan operates under FPIC, it was allowed to operate in the very same manner. Additionally, you required West Tower to conduct daily tests during their operation but only imposed a twice-a-month testing when FPIC took over,” the residents told Sheen in their letter.

The residents also alleged that FPIC contractors Waste Solutions and Management Services Inc. and CH2MHill, which they claimed are not registered treaters of toxic wastes, continue to treat contaminated water and dumped their output directly into the sewers.

“We are referring to the dumping of kerosene, diesel and gasoline range hydrocarbons, toluene, ethylbenzene, xylenes and benzene, which [are] widely known as carcinogenic,” they said.

“We reiterate our extreme disappointment at the meager attention you have been giving our plight. The DENR is supposed to be our bastion of environmental protection. It is supposed to ensure our safety from environmental hazards,” the residents lamented, adding that they do not see any DENR personnel monitoring the activities of FPIC and its contractors.

On the other hand, Sheen, in his Sept. 2 response to the residents’ first letter, said that wastewater being dumped by FPIC passes through a wastewater treatment facility that treats contaminated water prior to discharge.

According to Sheen, FPIC contracted WSMSI to treat the oily water from the product recovery wells through the mobile treatment unit (MTU). He explained that the MTU is a piece of equipment that cleans the air stream prior to discharge into the atmosphere.

He added that Bensan Industries Inc. was contracted by FPIC to treat the oil-contaminated water from the West Tower basement and that an oil-separator system treats the wastewater being pumped out and/or accumulating at the basement to meet the acceptable effluent discharge levels and water quality required.

So far, Sheen said, FPIC passed the bureau’s wastewater discharge analyses, saying it was able to meet the allowable standards.

But he assured the residents that DENR-EMB will not hesitate to impose sanctions against FPIC and its contractors if it commits violations or non-compliance to environmental laws.