ANGELES CITY – “A complete defiance against the governor who wanted to put an end to the decades-old problem on hog farms in Porac.”
Thus said the Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) as it lambasted Board Member Nestor Tolentino for creating a monitoring team without them and the “real affected residents.” Tolentino is the Sangunniang Panglalawigan (SP) chairman of the committee on environment.
Sonny Dobles, PGKM environment desk chief, alleged that the monitoring team created by Tolentino would pave the way for the issuance of municipal business permits to at least 12 prominent piggeries in Barangays Sta. Cruz and Manibaug-Paralaya, Porac.
“We are criticizing the monitoring team because it was created without the PGKM’s knowledge. The real complainants from the Kruzada Kontra Amoy (KKA) are also not included so how can we accept the integrity of the team?” said Dobles.
“The monitoring team will not give a fair assessment and it will eventually move for the granting of permits,” he add ed.
Tolentino included Joyce Velasco of the KKA in the monitoring team.
Dobles said “the old women of KKA” should have been included. He added that they “are the ones wishing to breathe fresh air again before they die.”
It could be recalled that Gov. Lilia “Baby” Pineda asked Porac Mayor Condradito De La Cruz not to issue permits to hog farms “as long as there are complaints.”
Barangay Captains Andrian Carreon of Manibaug-Paralaya and Bong Sicat of Sta. Cruz earlier took the cue from Pineda, refusing to grant permits to the piggeries in their villages.
The PGKM said since the creation of the monitoring team “some of the piggeries began to abuse again.”
“It smells terrible again, especially at night time. The flies are aplenty all over the place again,” said Dobles, as they blamed the piggeries in Porac for the foul odor.
Dobles urged the governor to put “ecologically intelligent official.”
“If the committee chairman was just using common sense, how will he allow the creation of a monitoring team without the real complainants,” said Dobles.
The PGKM also questioned the timing of the creation of the monitoring team because it was done when Pineda was on an official leave in the USA last month.
The PGKM stressed that they are not against food production and piggeries “as long as they follow environmental laws.”
“They still use primitive ways in handling the waste at their farms. They have earned a lot after all these years and how come they don’twant to put up the required facilities in their respective hog farm,” said Dobles.
