Business Mirror
Published on Monday, 18 March 2013 19:40 Written by Ernesto Hilario / About Town
ON March 1 a landslide occurred at the geothermal complex of the Energy Development Corp. (EDC) in Kananga, Leyte, resulting in the death of 14 workers who were building a concrete shelter to protect the steam pipeline in the facility. The tragedy took place in an area identified by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as a “red zone” or high-risk area vulnerable to landslides.
In the wake of the incident, acting Leyte Gov. Mimiette Bagulaya, the departments of Energy, Labor and Employment, as well as the DENR, launched separate investigations. The DOLE and DOE ordered an indefinite stoppage of work at the site of the landslide and directed the EDC, First Balfour and JA Arradaza Construction to submit documents on their compliance with labor laws and safety standards. The victims were workers of JA Arradaza Construction, a subcontractor of First Balfour Corp. for its civil works in the EDC facility. First Balfour is the general contractor of EDC. First Balfour and EDC are both owned by the Lopez group of companies.
The lethal landslide has raised doubts on the commitment of these companies to a number of issues, such as transparency and accountability, safety in the workplace and environmental protection.
Media reports indicated that after the tragedy, EDC/First Balfour prohibited authorities, volunteers and the media from going to the scene of the landslide, quite possibly to sanitize the area ahead of the official investigations. It is said that two workers could have been saved had the area not been declared off-limits to outsiders.
The two firms deployed 45 workers to build a riprap to protect the steam pipes of the complex amid heavy rains in an area that the DENR had pinpointed as an environmental high-risk area. The workers were sent to the site without adequate safety gear, resulting in severe burns from the steam that leaked out of damaged pipes.
Apart from all this, a toxic chemical called boron that had leaked out from the busted pipeline is reported to have spilled into a nearby river that farmers use to irrigate their crops.
The incident at the EDC geothermal facility in Kananga, Leyte, underscores what observers believe is a pattern of environmental degradation by Lopez-owned firms.
According to the Save Mount Kanlaon Coalition, the Northern Negros Geothermal Power Plant (NNGPP) cut down thousands of trees and dislocated flora and fauna in the area, resulting in environmental ruin.
The occupants of West Tower Condominium in Bangkal, Makati City, were driven out of their units three years ago when the oil pipeline of another Lopez-owned company, First Philippine Industrial Corp. (FPIC), developed a leak and contaminated the water underground. While FPIC says the fuel leak has been plugged, the residents still cannot go back to their units, as the gas cloud from contaminants has not been removed, posing a clear and present threat to the health and safety of residents.
In Palawan another Lopez-owned entity, the ABS-CBN Foundation’s Bantay Kalikasan, has been accused of illegally occupying an area considered a sacred tribal ground in Brooke’s Point and constructing a resort in Sabsaban Falls where they cut trees and built cottages without the consent of the indigenous peoples in the area. According to the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, the resort should be closed down because of the absence of a permit from the council, which requires a Strategic Investment Plan clearance from any private or government project in Palawan’s forest areas under Republic Act 7611.
The apparent failure of the Lopez-owned firms to protect the environment is not in consonance with the public image of a prominent member of the family who has been championing various environmental projects, such as the cleanup of the Pasig River, but has chosen to remain silent over violations of environmental laws by family-owned firms.
The DENR has been running after Philex Mining for polluting a river near its Padcal mining site and even imposed more than P1 billion in fines for the environmental damage. The government has also ordered the closure of the coal-mining site of Semirara Mining Corp. in Caluya, Antique, after a section of the open-pit mine collapsed in February, killing five workers.
Will the DENR apply the law evenhandedly and thoroughly investigate the Lopez-owned firms for environmental destruction in at least three instances, or will these be conveniently shelved? source
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