4 more firms closed for polluting Manila Bay
Credit to Author: Tempo Desk| Date: Thu, 07 Feb 2019 08:38:51 +0000
POLICE officers patrol the stretch of Manila Bay on Roxas Boulevard in Manila to restrict park goers from littering and swimming in the bay Thursday. (Jansen Romero)
THE Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) has shut down four more establishments found dumping untreated wastewater into the Manila Bay.
It issued cease and desist orders (CDOs) against Billion Building, HK Sun Plaza, Tramway Bayview Buffet Restaurant in Pasay City, and D Circle Hotel in Manila.
LLDA also issued additional 13 notices of violation (NOVs) and four ex-parte orders, just a few days after the kickoff of the Manila Bay rehabilitation last January 27.
Earlier, it issued CDOs against three restaurants and establishments — Aristocrat, Gloria Maris, Esplanade and E Universe Entertainment and KTV Bar. They were found discharging pollutive water into Manila Bay and have no proper wastewater facility.
Improper wastewater disposal is a violation under the Republic Act (RA) 9275 or the Philippine
Clean Water Act of 2004 and could be a ground for closure of the establishment and its wastewater facilities.
Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu said the DENR will go for an across the board crackdown on erring establishments as part of the massive effort to rehabilitate the heavily polluted Manila Bay.
LLDA is an attached agency of the DENR.
“No establishment that is polluting Manila Bay will be spared from the crackdown,” Cimatu said.
“We will make sure all establishments will go through inspection and the violators will have to pay the price for polluting the environment,” he added.
Cimatu warned that more establishments may face possible closure for polluting Manila Bay. (Ellalyn de Vera-Ruiz)