ANGELES CITY – The Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) has asked the city council members to urge the authorities to close down hog and chicken farms in Barangay Cutcut, one of which is owned by the outgoing Association of Barangay Captain (ABC) president here.
This developed even as the PGKM pointedly asked the barangay official, Robin Nepomuceno, his wife and successor Cecille, and their son city councilor Bryan: “Magserbisyu kayo o mamerwisyu?”
The issue of conflict of interest has been raised by the PGKM after the councilor “made inquisitory questions” against the anti-pollution advocates during a committee hearing at the city council last week.
The objections and protestations of PGKM chairman Ruperto Cruz, environmentalist Sonny Dobles and businesswoman Angie Salas over the “propriety of Nepomuceno sitting at the council in defense of his family’s business interest” forced the councilor to relinquish his seat and joined the family farm’s manager at the panel.
On Monday, Cruz and Dobles joined joined Councilors Edu Pamintuan, Alfie Bonifacio, Jay Sangil and Alex Indiongco in inspecting Kennon Farm operated by one Charlie Chan and the Nepomuceno’s Paradise Poultry Farm, both in Barangay Cutcut.
Cruz said the Kennon Farm had lacked the “appropriate” water treatment and gasifier facilities to handle the waste of some 7,200 hogs at the farm. The farm is a few meters away from the posh Carmenville Subdivision and Holy Mary Memorial Park.
“The open lagoon where the waste water is dumped is so small and the necessary facilities required by laws are not there. The violations are clear as daylight,” said Cruz.
Pamintuan, chairman of the committee on environment, expressed disappointment on the “poor state of the facilities at Kennon.”
He videotaped the open lagoon at Kennon to “document the dirt, flies and worms all over the place.”
“If the facility is good, I should not have seen worms and the smell is awful. I am just waiting for some reports and documents to solidify my recommendation to Mayor Pamintuan to close down Kennon,” said Pamintuan, a first-term councilor and son of Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan.
But Reynaldo Garcia of the regional Environmental and Management Bureau (EMB) office said the Kennon Farm and its lagoon “passed the requirements.” He added that the open lagoons such as the one in Kennon are accepted as there are “only two hog farms in Pampanga which had the modern water treatment facilities.”
“If we are closing this one (Kennon) due to the open lagoon, then many others will no longer operate,” said Garcia, who also joined the inspection on Monday afternoon.
Cruz, for his part, challenged Garcia to sign his name in the report that the Kennon Farm “had passed environmental laws.”
“Then Garcia will be included in the charge sheet against violators and he will definitely be in trouble with EMB officials as there is indeed wrong with Kennon’s facilities,” said Cruz.
A certain Berting who resides at Carmenville said “no wonder we smell something irritating and bad all year round.”
“There are times the bad smell is unbearable, we have no choice but to leave our house,” he added.
The PGKM, the four councilors and Garcia also inspected the Paradise Farm but found out that the chickens had been harvested.
Even without the chickens, Dobles noted a “perceptible foul smell” and flies around the chicken houses.
On his suggestion, the inspection team will revisit Paradise Farm in late December after farm supervisor Anthony Yap told the group that they would resume poultry operations on December 13.
This developed even as the PGKM pointedly asked the barangay official, Robin Nepomuceno, his wife and successor Cecille, and their son city councilor Bryan: “Magserbisyu kayo o mamerwisyu?”
The issue of conflict of interest has been raised by the PGKM after the councilor “made inquisitory questions” against the anti-pollution advocates during a committee hearing at the city council last week.
The objections and protestations of PGKM chairman Ruperto Cruz, environmentalist Sonny Dobles and businesswoman Angie Salas over the “propriety of Nepomuceno sitting at the council in defense of his family’s business interest” forced the councilor to relinquish his seat and joined the family farm’s manager at the panel.
On Monday, Cruz and Dobles joined joined Councilors Edu Pamintuan, Alfie Bonifacio, Jay Sangil and Alex Indiongco in inspecting Kennon Farm operated by one Charlie Chan and the Nepomuceno’s Paradise Poultry Farm, both in Barangay Cutcut.
Cruz said the Kennon Farm had lacked the “appropriate” water treatment and gasifier facilities to handle the waste of some 7,200 hogs at the farm. The farm is a few meters away from the posh Carmenville Subdivision and Holy Mary Memorial Park.
“The open lagoon where the waste water is dumped is so small and the necessary facilities required by laws are not there. The violations are clear as daylight,” said Cruz.
Pamintuan, chairman of the committee on environment, expressed disappointment on the “poor state of the facilities at Kennon.”
He videotaped the open lagoon at Kennon to “document the dirt, flies and worms all over the place.”
“If the facility is good, I should not have seen worms and the smell is awful. I am just waiting for some reports and documents to solidify my recommendation to Mayor Pamintuan to close down Kennon,” said Pamintuan, a first-term councilor and son of Mayor Edgardo Pamintuan.
But Reynaldo Garcia of the regional Environmental and Management Bureau (EMB) office said the Kennon Farm and its lagoon “passed the requirements.” He added that the open lagoons such as the one in Kennon are accepted as there are “only two hog farms in Pampanga which had the modern water treatment facilities.”
“If we are closing this one (Kennon) due to the open lagoon, then many others will no longer operate,” said Garcia, who also joined the inspection on Monday afternoon.
Cruz, for his part, challenged Garcia to sign his name in the report that the Kennon Farm “had passed environmental laws.”
“Then Garcia will be included in the charge sheet against violators and he will definitely be in trouble with EMB officials as there is indeed wrong with Kennon’s facilities,” said Cruz.
A certain Berting who resides at Carmenville said “no wonder we smell something irritating and bad all year round.”
“There are times the bad smell is unbearable, we have no choice but to leave our house,” he added.
The PGKM, the four councilors and Garcia also inspected the Paradise Farm but found out that the chickens had been harvested.
Even without the chickens, Dobles noted a “perceptible foul smell” and flies around the chicken houses.
On his suggestion, the inspection team will revisit Paradise Farm in late December after farm supervisor Anthony Yap told the group that they would resume poultry operations on December 13.
