ANGELES CITY – After a spell of fresh, unadulterated air, residents of barangays at the boundary of Porac town and this city are again choking on the stench of piggery farms in the area.
“Bala ku, tuluy-tuloy na ing preskung angin a asisingap mi keni manibat inyang liban na lang GMA ampo y governor Nanay ding piggery. Pero bayu pa eleksyun, sinaningalngal na naman ing buluk ding babi (I thought there won’t be a stop anymore to the fresh air we’ve been breathing since GMA and the governor checked on the piggeries.
But just before the elections, the stench of the pigs filled the air again),” said Apung Lina, an octogenarian, of Barangay Sta. Cruz, Porac.
Like her, many of the elders in the barangays expressed the hope to “breathe fresh air again, before we die” at the time of the second wave of mass actions against the Porac pig farms launched by the Krusada Kontra Amoy (KKA) and the Pinoy Gumising Ka Movement (PGKM) from 2009 to 2011.
The pollution issues against the Porac piggeries as well as those in this city as well as the poultry farms have been raised as far back as the late 1990s.
In early 2011, Gov. Lilia Pineda and 2nd District Rep. Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo along with the local government of Porac and the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources checked on a number of piggery farms in Sta. Cruz.
It was noted that the stench coming out of the pig farms was “greatly reduced” sometime after some pollution-mitigating measures were reportedly undertaken by the pig farm owners.
With the resurgence of the repulsive smell coming immediately before the May 13 elections, the former allegations of collusion between the piggery owners and local officials have also resurfaced.
“Malay natin, nagkaroon ng donasyon sa kampanya ang mga yan (Who knows, they may have contributed to the campaign),” said one Arcadio Bulanadi.
Both Porac Mayor Condralito de la Cruz and Vice Mayor Dexter David ran unopposed in the last elections though.
The town officials were denounced as “pig protectors” in mass actions in the past.
As this developed, the KKA and the PGKM have appealed to Gov. Pineda to “put a definitive end” to the pollution caused by the piggery and poultry farms.
“All your efforts to improve the health and well-being of our people as well as transform our province as a tourist destination will come to naught with these piggeries and poultry farms continuously fouling the environment,” said PGKM chairman Ruperto Cruz, in his appeal to Pineda.
Studies noted the increase of respiratory diseases and skin ailments in the area as caused by the pollution from the pig and poultry farms.
Cruz also asked the Porac local government to also check on “so-called backyard piggeries” which are reportedly contributory to the stench.
“While backyard piggery used to mean one or two pigs raised for meat, we have been hearing reports that there are backyards containing from 10 to as much as 20 pigs. That makes already a commercial enterprise,” Cruz said.
Punto! tried but failed to contact Porac officials for their comment.
