Hermosa, Bataan—The Environmental Management Bureau in Region 3 (EMB-3) has denied the request of Hermosa Mayor Jopet Inton to blacklist Econest Waste Management Corp. from undertaking any waste management facility in the future.
Inton wrote EMB 3 on March 2, 2020 but was disappointed with the bureau’s reply, release to media over the weekend.
“With regard in the blacklisting of Econest Waste Management Corporation and its officers from undertaking any waste management facility in the future, this Office has no mandate on the concern,” EMB 3 Regional Director Wilson L. Trajeco wrote to Inton dated May 6, 2020.
In February, the Hermosa local government padlocked the town’s sanitary landfill facility being operated by Econest for purported violations of environmental laws.
Econest was operating the landfill under a public-private partnership with the Hermosa LGU.
EMB 3 also denied the request of Inton to revoke the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) of Econest over the Hermosa landfill and have the landfill rehabilitation at the expense of the company.
“The request for relief of ECC cannot be granted. Based on the Revised Procedural Manual for DAO 2003-30, ECC may only be suspended for violations of Proponent to comply with any of the ECC conditions,” said Trajeco.
“The undersigned posed no objection with the issuance of order for the immediate full rehabilitation of the landfill as it is deemed necessary. Result of laboratory analyses showed that significant effluent parameters have high concentration which most likely can be damaging if care and maintenance or rehabilitation would not be undertaken,” the EMB 3 regional director wrote.
“With regards to who shall shoulder the cost, may we recommend for Hermosa LGU and Econest to revisit their MOA PPP Agreement or bring it to the right forum for issuance of decision,” Trajeco further wrote.
