Recycling factory owner asking for consideration

CEBU, Philippines – An official of a plastic recycling factory in barangay Cotcot, Liloan town said neighbors who are demanding for the shutdown of the factory should also consider the interests of the more than 90 workers who would lose their jobs once it closes down.

“Okay ra mi pero unsaon man na ang mga tawo? We currently have more than 90 workers nga taga diri ra pud, og i-close ang factory, asa naman na sila?” said Lina Olinan, JIP Plastic’s operations head.

German national Karl Herbich, whose house is adjacent to the factory and the nearby Don Bosco Boys’ Home and Training Center through its rector Jhun Paradiang have complained about the hazards posed by the factory’s operation.

Both Herbich and Paradiang urged Liloan Mayor Vincent Duke Frasco last year that JIP should be closed because of the alleged hazards its operation poses to the health of the people living near the area.

The complainants had cited in their complaint that the factory, which recycles plastic materials collected from dump sites or from just anywhere, emits foul smell that has allegedly made students in the center sick and possibly its other neighbors. That and its lack of a business permit should be enough to close the factory, the complainants said.

Last February, the local government heeded the call and closed the plastic melting business. But a few weeks after that, in March 11, it however allowed it to open again, this time giving it 90 days it to comply with the requirements.

The re-opening, which was once again met with protests from the old complainants, was to allow the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to inspect the area, as it would do it while the factory is in operation, defended Olinan.

The DENR also took water samples from the nearby Cotcot River, which Herbich, in another complaint, alleged was showing discoloration.

He maintained the water was already black, as the factory had allegedly been dumping its waste water here.

The results of the DENR test however revealed that the water in the river does not have harmful chemical contents as alleged by Herbich.

But Herbich, who was not satisfied with the results, commissioned the University of San Carlos (USC)-Water Laboratory to conduct an independent water test.

The results from the USC laboratory differed from that of the DENR’s. Herbich’s son Franz, in an interview earlier said, it was “hard to believe” that the water samples examined by the DENR have passed the standards when “the damage can be seen even with naked eye.”

When the results came, the complainants had once again renewed its call to Frasco to close the factory and not issue a permit for it.

As of yesterday, the 90-day period has already lapsed, and the factory has still not been issued a permit, not even an environmental compliance certificate from the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau 7.

Confident that it passed the re-inspection recently conducted by the DENR, Olinan said they are expecting for their permits and clearances to be released within this month.

“Ana man na, sa una pa, ganahan sila nga i-close mi kay lagi tan-aw nila sa among negosyo basurahan. Pero sa una ra man mi, nganung karon

pa man sila moreklamo? Magpasalamat pa gani sila nga naa ni nga factory kay kanang mga gitan-aw nila nga basura naa unta na sa karsada nagkalat. Usa pa, dili makapatay ang basura,” she said.

Olinan also maintained that even if they process tons of waste everyday, the plant does not emit foul smell as alleged by the complainants.

For her part, Helen Herbich, Filipina wife of Karl said, the main point in their cause is “to save the environment of barangay Cotcot.”

“This is not for me or for my family. We can always go to Germany and live there. This is for the people of Cotcot, too. They will be here in the next years to come. If their environment will die, what will happen to them? That is our main concern,” she said. –Liv G. Campo (The Freeman)