CITY OF SAN FERNANDO – “If I have my way, I will immediately close them.”
Thus said Porac Mayor Roger Santos, admitting that piggeries in his town emit foul smell adversely affecting his constituents and residents in nearby Angeles City, even as he lamented his helplessness to implement any closure order with the piggery farms having the necessary permits.
Santos, in a live television interview over CLTV’s Hamon Central Luzon hosted by John Susi late Thursday, said he would close at least 12 prominent piggeries in Barangays Sta. Cruz and Manibaug Paralaya “ even by tomorrow” if permitted by law, and if within his powers as mayor do so.
Santos disclosed that the problem on the stench emitted by piggeries in Porac “has been there for over 25 years.”
Santos said the piggeries mostly owned by Filipino-Chinese businessmen had environment clearance certificates (ECC) from the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) and they follow the rules set by the local government unit (LGU). He earlier closed two piggeries – Logo Farm in Sta. Cruz and LTO Farm in Manibaug Paralaya – after they were found to have violated local sanitation processes.
Atty. Regina Guarin, legal counsel of the Porac LGU, said the mayor could “only regulate but not prohibit businesses.” She added that LGUs are under the laws set by Congress and there is no law empowering the mayor to close down legal businesses.
Asked to comment if a mayor could close down piggeries, Guarin said “yes, but with due process.”
Guarin and Rogie Pangilinan, Task Force Clean Air (TFCA) head, joined Santos in the television interview.
Guarin said they had gone over the Clean Air Act and consulted the EMB but it was the cleanliness and not odor that could be used to determine if the piggeries had violated the law.
“Odor is just passing. It could not be used as a parameter,” added Guarin.
Pangilinan, for his part, said “we should be thankful” that Mayor Santos had close down two piggeries in his second year as mayor when the problem on piggeries had been there for over 25 years. He added that no other previous mayors in Porac had stopped the operation of one piggery.
Pangilinan said Santos had formed the TFCA last year to address the complaints against the piggeries. He added that last February 1 the task force had submitted their proposal to the town council headed by Vice Mayor Jing Capil.
“They sat on it and it remained untouched,” said Pangilinan. He disclosed that two of their proposals are to reclassify Sta. Cruz and Manibaug Paralaya from agricultural to residential and also recommended the transfer of piggeries to Barangay Mitla.
Pangilinan said when he had followed up their recommendation to the town council he was surprised that Councilor Ludi Muli had been working for the reclassification of Barangays Palat, Pulong Santol and Cangatba, Porac into commercial and industrial, instead of the TFCA proposal.
“Worse, the proposal to convert Sta. Cruz and Paralaya into residential areas had not been presented to the provincial board,” added Pangilinan.
Thus said Porac Mayor Roger Santos, admitting that piggeries in his town emit foul smell adversely affecting his constituents and residents in nearby Angeles City, even as he lamented his helplessness to implement any closure order with the piggery farms having the necessary permits.
Santos, in a live television interview over CLTV’s Hamon Central Luzon hosted by John Susi late Thursday, said he would close at least 12 prominent piggeries in Barangays Sta. Cruz and Manibaug Paralaya “ even by tomorrow” if permitted by law, and if within his powers as mayor do so.
Santos disclosed that the problem on the stench emitted by piggeries in Porac “has been there for over 25 years.”
Santos said the piggeries mostly owned by Filipino-Chinese businessmen had environment clearance certificates (ECC) from the Environment Management Bureau (EMB) and they follow the rules set by the local government unit (LGU). He earlier closed two piggeries – Logo Farm in Sta. Cruz and LTO Farm in Manibaug Paralaya – after they were found to have violated local sanitation processes.
Atty. Regina Guarin, legal counsel of the Porac LGU, said the mayor could “only regulate but not prohibit businesses.” She added that LGUs are under the laws set by Congress and there is no law empowering the mayor to close down legal businesses.
Asked to comment if a mayor could close down piggeries, Guarin said “yes, but with due process.”
Guarin and Rogie Pangilinan, Task Force Clean Air (TFCA) head, joined Santos in the television interview.
Guarin said they had gone over the Clean Air Act and consulted the EMB but it was the cleanliness and not odor that could be used to determine if the piggeries had violated the law.
“Odor is just passing. It could not be used as a parameter,” added Guarin.
Pangilinan, for his part, said “we should be thankful” that Mayor Santos had close down two piggeries in his second year as mayor when the problem on piggeries had been there for over 25 years. He added that no other previous mayors in Porac had stopped the operation of one piggery.
Pangilinan said Santos had formed the TFCA last year to address the complaints against the piggeries. He added that last February 1 the task force had submitted their proposal to the town council headed by Vice Mayor Jing Capil.
“They sat on it and it remained untouched,” said Pangilinan. He disclosed that two of their proposals are to reclassify Sta. Cruz and Manibaug Paralaya from agricultural to residential and also recommended the transfer of piggeries to Barangay Mitla.
Pangilinan said when he had followed up their recommendation to the town council he was surprised that Councilor Ludi Muli had been working for the reclassification of Barangays Palat, Pulong Santol and Cangatba, Porac into commercial and industrial, instead of the TFCA proposal.
“Worse, the proposal to convert Sta. Cruz and Paralaya into residential areas had not been presented to the provincial board,” added Pangilinan.
