Mandaue City folk up in arms vs seaweed firm

CEBU — Residents of a Mandaue City barangay are asking a seaweed processing plant there to stop dumping alleged untreated wastewater into the Mactan Channel.

The barangay council of Looc, Mandaue City is set to draft a resolution to request the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to issue a cease and desist order against FMC Marine Colloids Phils.

The residents’ clamor came as tests by the DENR and the Department of Science and Technology’s regional office on a wastewater sample taken from an FMC pipe showed a high biological oxygen standard (BOD).

Standard BOD for seawater is only up to 120, but the wastewater sample had 2,467 BOD, or 20 times higher.

In a special session last Thursday, the Looc council, headed by barangay chairman Editha Cabahug, agreed to draft a resolution that would ask Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Heherson Alvarez to look into FMC’s compliance with environmental standards and inspect its wastewater treatment process.

"The results of the laboratory examination are very alarming," Cabahug said, expressing fears that Mactan Channel is no longer safe.

"We have to do something about this, otherwise the whole Cebuano community will eventually suffer from the effects of the toxic chemicals being dumped into the channel," she said.

"It’s good for them (FMC) because they are not from here (Cebu). They can easily transfer their plant (elsewhere if) things get worse," she added.

FMC has a pending environmental case with the Seaweed Industry Association of the Philippines.

The Freeman tried to get FMC’s side on the issue, but a company employee said the person authorized to give comments, managing director Tita Tumayao, is out of the country.

The employee could not ascertain Tumayao’s date of return, or when the company would issue an official statement on the matter.

In 1995, the DENR accused FMC of polluting waters near the Ouano wharf. — Freeman News Service