La Trinidad chicken dung and Baguio batching plants

EDITORIAL

Despite the administration’s purported drive on caring for the environment, it seems some local government units are not doing their jobs well.

In Barangay Shilan in La Trinidad, Benguet, residents are mad about the sale of chicken dung and are doing steps to minimize if not stop it considering hazards it poses to their health despite reported lackluster support from the municipal government.

In nearby Camp 7, Baguio thousands of irate residents living along Kennon Road have upped their complaints against operations of two cement batching plants which disrupted their peaceful living conditions. These are two examples of how constituents are reacting to seemingly slow government action to their plight.

In the case of Baguio, the uproar of residents came after the city government was criticized for being blind on existence of an ordinance banning the operation of batching plants in any part of this mountain resort city because of its serious negative impact to the state of environment and the health of the people, especially in populated areas like in Camp 7.

What irked the residents was the blatant defiance of the batching plant operators to voluntarily remove their equipment in the area which they earlier committed during a consultation with local officials last month. One of the batching plants which is reportedly owned by a certain Mr. Tan was undergoing construction when the ordinance banning the same was approved sometime in March 2007.

The owner still proceeded in completing the cement batching plants and making it operational despite effectivity of the local law thereby belittling the campaign of the local government on illegal business operations and the protection of the environment as well as the health of the residents in the area.

Lawyer Melchor Carlos Rabanes, city legal officer, gave the “green light” for the personnel of the city mayor’s public order and safety division to close the operation of the illegal batching plants since they have no building permits, they violated the zoning ordinance of the city when they were erected within a residential area and they do not have business permits.

To this date, the two batching plants continue to operate in front of the noses of Barangay and city officials which has already gotten the ire of people living in the vicinity of the plants who are frequently disturbed by their operations.

Some residents said it is unfortunate that the city government could run after illegal vendors in the streets and deprive them of a descent source of living while they could not even effect a legitimate ordinance which is posing a serious threat to the environment and the health of residents.
Others said if the city government tolerates illegal business operations such as that of the batching plants, then they have no moral ascendancy to run after small vendors in the market who pay their small fees with the city treasurer’s office.

In numerous interviews with local media outfits, Baguio Mayor Reinaldo A. Bautista Jr. claimed he had already closed the operation of the batching plants but the fact remains the cement batching plants continue to disturb the peaceful living conditions in the area.

The concerned residents challenged local officials to have the political will in closing down the operation of the batching plants and not take them for a ride by their obvious political statements just to apiece them by claiming to have acted on their complaints while satisfying the desire of the batching plant operators to remain in the place forever. Is somebody listening in the city government?