LA TRINIDAD, Benguet — The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has given resort owners in Cordillera a stern warning against polluting the waterways in the upland region.
Reynaldo Digamo, regional director of DENR’s Environment and Management Bureau (EMB) in Cordillera, told resort owners from Itogon, Benguet in a recent meeting to strictly comply with environmental laws and ensure that their facilities do not discharge waste water to the river.
Digamo ordered owners to immediately install necessary control measures, especially those who are operating swimming pools, to safeguard the environment.
The environment official gave the resort owners a period of one month to secure their Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECC) and hire their pollution control officers (PCO), who would ensure that their establishments do not violate laws on environmental protection.
The EMB has found that some resort owners allegedly discharge their wastewater to the Ambalanga river, which is unlawful.
Digamo also urged the concerned local government units to put in place corrective measures before the EMB issue sanctions against them.
He said his agency is willing to extend technical assistance to LGUs to adhere to industry environmental standards, at the same time warning that “no LGU is above the law”.
The EMB has just signed a memorandum of agreement with the municipality of La Trinidad, Benguet and some stakeholders, including barangay officials, to protect and preserve the Balili river under the DENR’s “Adopt an Estero (waterways)” program.
The Balili river is the main water body that traverses Benguet’s capital town of La Trinidad. The river has different tributaries coming from the city of Baguio. (Primo Agatep/PNA)
