DENR to scrap Pandacan oil depot ECC

The Philippines’ Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said it would cancel the environmental compliance certificate (ECC) issued for the operation of the oil depot in Manila if the city government insists on approving a proposed ordinance that seeks to revert Pandacan, which is being managed by Chevron Philippines Inc., Petron Corp. and Pilipinas Shell Petroleum Corp., into a zone for medium and heavy industries. DENR said the proposed ordinance is “clearly disjointed and out of tune” because it would pave the way for highly polluting and extremely hazardous heavy industries along the Pasig River, which connects to the Manila Bay, and is close to the Manila city proper. Manila Bay is among the areas proposed by DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) to be declared as a “Non-Attainment Area” (NAA) by virtue of the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004. NAA status is conferred when an area’s water quality exceeds safety levels for a certain period of time. (March 20/23/30, 2009)