Metro Manila (CNN Philippines) — Residents of Barangay 105 and Happy Land, as well as environmentalists, have been protesting over what they said were health issues caused by a certain coal storage warehouse owned by Rock Energy Corporation.
It has been almost a month since the City of Manila issued a stop order to Rock Energy, but contrary to this, operations are still ongoing and coal is still stored in the facility.
Residents were angry saying their families continue to get sick.
Studies showed that coal dust has many harmful effects on health, among them, respiratory illnesses like cough, asthma to lung cancer, cardiovascular diseases, and problems in the nervous system.
“Madaming pag-aaral na nagsasabing coal dust has heavy metals and poisonous elements,” said Clemente Bautista of Kalikasan, a non-government organization.
[Translation: “There are several studies which claim coal dust has heavy metals and poisonous elements.”]
The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) decided to override the Manila City Hall’s orders, adding that it is still verifying whether the company complies with sanitary requirements.
The agency also said a dialogue with community leaders, the protesters, Rock Energy, and the city hall has been conducted.
Rock Energy insisted it has adequate anti-pollution measures.
“We are not the only company who has a coal stockpile operation in the area. However, we believe we are the only one that has the adequate anti-pollution control facilities and equipment specific to the kind of material we handle,” said Carl Fontanilla of Rock Energy.
The DENR said a team has been sent to the warehouse to check on Rock Energy’s operations, and get coal samples for toxicity testing.
Results of the tests will be out next week.
For now, the residents will again have to wait for a decision from the DENR and city hall, and hope that soon, they could finally heave a sigh of relief.
