Victory of the people against an unsanitary big business interest?
By: Central Luzon News Center
This came when Mayor Cristy Angeles issued a suspension order against a big poultry farm long been complained of for the swarm of flies it generates.
Suspended from operating is the Dela Rosa-Vega Poultry Farm located at Sitio Pag-asa, Barangay Tibag Tarlac City.
The Mayor’s order reads, “you are hereby ordered and directed to SUSPEND your business operation until such time that all the necessary clearances, permits and pertinent documents relative to your poultry farm, have been secured, completed and submitted to the appropriate departments/agencies of the City and National Governments”.
The suspension stemmed from the poultry’s noncompliance with local and national government permits, as enumerated by Freddie Farres, a resident of the area, in his series of letters to Mayor Angeles dating back in April 18 this year.
On June 19, Farres sent another letter summarizing the violations of the said poultry among which were:
1. No business permit.
2. No building permit (though the City Engineer’s Office said that they have a record of application, but have yet to show the actual permit).
3. No sanitary permit.
4. No ECC (Environmental Compliance Certificate).
5. No Barangay clearance from the current Barangay administration.
Farres said he is still waiting for the other national government offices over their report on the poultry’s compliance.
But Farres said, the Mayor’s office, and the city line departments, had been treating the said poultry farm with kid gloves as there are unconfirmed reports that the poultry owner is an “amiga” of the mayor and the suspension, though a “positive development, is just a slight blow”.
“The community demands a permanent solution,” Farres said, referring to the “root of the issue which is the swarm of flies” said to be emanating from the Dela Rodsa-Vega poultry.
Farres has taken the cudgels for the more than 2,000 residence complaining the poultry’s “unsanitary operation”.
Dela Rosa-Vega Farm had been the subject of complaints by the people affected of the swarms of flies which regularly come every harvest season for the last more than 10 years.
In Farres’ April 18 letter to the mayor, it cited the 2015 petition signed by hundreds of affected residents of Barangay Tibag which remained unacted.
The attached to the letter of Farres is a similar complaint-petition with 400 signatures.
“Tama na, busog na busog na kami sa langaw lalo na ang mga matatagal ng residente dito. Nakailang subok na sila na magreklamo, walang nangyari. Kawawa sila dahil hindi nila alam kung paano i-approach ang problema. They have been suffering for years! Pasensiya na lang. Pinaglalaban lang namin ang aming karapatan para sa malinis na kapaligiran, karapatan na makalanghap ng malinis na hangin, karapatan na kumain ng maayos, karapatan na matulog ng mahimbing, karapatan na mapakinabangan ang aming mga lupain sa ligal at maayos na paraan,” Farres commented.
Despite the issuance of a suspension order, a resident remained hesitant on the issue.
“Fifteen days lang ang suspension, paano kung nag-load ulit sila? Kung serious ang pag-address sa aming reklamo dapat closure order ang pinalabas dahil sa ilang taon na paulit-ulit na paglabag nila sa mga environmental laws and local ordinances”, said a resident who requested his name withheld.
Apparently, the mayor’s suspension order came on the “warning that the issue will be elevated to the higher offices if not acted upon” contained in Farres’ letter.
