The city government here is strictly monitoring the actions of Victorias Milling Company (VMC) on the water and air pollution caused by the molasses spill involving the country’s largest producer of refined sugar last May 5. Mayor Javier Miguel Benitez said on Tuesday they will implement the full extent of the law in addressing the damage as the City Environment and Natural Resources Office regularly monitors the measures undertaken by the VMC to address the incident. ‘The city is very serious about the general welfare of the people. We are also very serious about the damage to our natural resources. There should be a better way to prevent this from happening again,’ he added. Benitez said he recently met with representatives of the VMC and officials of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environment Management Bureau for a technical conference, including the assessment of the damage. ‘We are just concluding a lot of the technicalities of it,’ he said. The mayor said the VMC management has started providing assistance to affected residents in two villages. In the past weeks, the molasses leak brought health and environmental concerns after the spillage led to the contamination of the Malihaw River and the emission of stench from the wastewater treatment pond that has spread to 11 villages in the city proper. During a legislative inquiry on May 24, the City Council urged the VMC management to expedite actions to address the foul odor after its representatives admitted it would take more than a month to implement the measures to totally address the problem.
Source: Philippines News Agency