Residents complain about pollution from piggery and asphalt plant

MILAOR, Camarines Sur (Nov 22, 2011) – Thousands of residents in populated areas in this municipality and adjacent Naga City have filed a petition to the local government of this town complaining about the stench originating from a large piggery and an asphalt plant in a compound owned by the Uy family in barangay San Vicente in this town.

A petition signed by about 150 residents in San Vicente and several hundreds more in Mabulo, Naga City has prodded the local government of this town to take action as Uy's piggery and asphalt batching plant pollute the air and an artery of the Bicol river, posing health hazards to nearby residents.

Milaor town Mayor Rogelio Flores confirmed that he had referred the petitions of the affected residents to the Health Committee of the Sangguniang Bayan, chaired by Councilor Anthony Reyes.

Mayor Flores said that an earlier inspection of the facility this year conducted by representatives of the Department of Agriculture, the Department of Health and the local government revealed that additional buildings were constructed at the Uy compound and livestock count has increased from 3,000 heads to 5,000 heads since 2010.

Flores said this increase in pig counts and the construction of additional structures were not declared by the owner, Hector Uy, when he secured a business permit for 2011.

The Mayor also said that the operation of the aspahalt batching plant by the NFH Construction owned by Nathaniel Uy, brother of Hector, does not have the required permits.

Flores added that because of the complaints, he will grant only a conditional business permit to Uy’s piggery when he renews his business permit in 2012.

Uy also promised to the Mayor that the batching plant operation shall be transferred to the town of Calabanga where NFH Construction also has business permit to operate. But Mayor Flores said Uy had made this kind of promises in the past.

According to the Mayor, he already reiterated his request to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) regional office in Legazpi City, that inspected the facility last month to immediately release its findings and recommendations to address the pollutions coming from Uy compound.

The barangay captain of San Vicente, Maria Victoria Patindon, said Uy’s piggery is located in a 5-hectare compound in her barangay, but the stench is felt more in the urban area of Mabulo, Naga City.

Barangay officials here also noted the slow response of the Milaor municipal government despite the pending petitions from the affected barangays.

Allegedly, Reyes could not impose immediate sanctions on Uy's business firms despite alleged violations of local zoning ordinance because the head of the Health Committee is reportedly an employee of the NFH Construction owned by Uy. (SONNY SALES)