Carbon,Pasil markets ‘violating’ environmental laws

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City’s Pasil Fish Market and Carbon Public Market have been found violating environmental laws.

William Cuñado, Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) regional director, said the city’s two major public markets have failed to secure valid discharge permit, hazardous waste generator’s ID for busted fluorescent lamps generation, and accredited pollution control officer.

EMB-7 sent a notice of violation to the city government in August last year.  However, the noted violations have yet to be corrected.

 The city government promised to address the environmental violations during a technical conference with EMB-7 officials on May 9.

But a new administration took the helm at the City Hall.

Now, the administration of Mayor Edgardo Labella has asked EMB to give the city more time to correct the violations.

City Legal Officer Rey Gealon said Labella administration is committed to comply with the mandates of EMB-7.

Among the commitments of the new administration is to rehabilitate the city’s markets.

“In this light, the city requests your indulgence and the extension of a reasonable time within which to comply with its commitments, as well as the conduct of a technical conference with the city’s new officers to apprise the said officers of the facts and issues and enable the city to devise a comprehensive action plan to rehabilitate the City’s markets in accordance with this administration’s development framework,” he said in his letter to Cuñado.

EMB-7, in its notice, said the city government will be penalized if the cited violations will not be corrected.

Violation of any provision of the Department Administrative Order 2005-10 constitutes a penalty of not less than P10,000 but not more than P200,00 for every day of violation upon the recommendation of the Pollution Adjudication Board.

As for the violations against DAO 2013-22, a penalty of not less than P10,000 but not more than P50,000 will be imposed.

City Market Administrator Jonel Matugnina said the cited violations were not discussed during the turnover of documents last June 30.

“We will study the matter so we can address these violations,” he told The FREEMAN.

Matugina said Labella already ordered for the massive cleanup of all markets in the city to ensure the security and safety of the products displayed there. 

City Administrator Atty. Floro Casas, Jr., the barangay leaders of Pasil, Sawang Calero and Suba, the Public Restoration, Order, Beautification, and Enhancement (PROBE), and fish vendor organizations have already discussed the market cleanup.

Casas said the massive cleanup drive will start in the Pasil Fish Market, the city’s largest fish market.

He said the market is “very filthy,” saying that even the barangay captains are complaining of the trash.

“Hugaw kaayo. So the mayor ordered to clean all the public markets,” he said. — Jebert Sarsonas, CNU Intern/KBQ (FREEMAN)