Gokongwei-owned Universal Robina Corp. (URC) may face charges if it is proven that its Bais distillery has violated environmental laws or regulations for spilling wastewater into the Bais Bay, according to Malacañang.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) issued a 90-day interim cease and desist order against the said distillery of URC due to the illegal wastewater discharge last October 26.
URC attributed the spill to earthquake-induced cracks in the lagoon, where wastewater from the distillery was collected.
In a press briefing last Wednesday, Palace Press Officer Claire Castro said the government is looking into URC’s possible violation of Republic Act 11038 or the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System Act of 2018.
‘If a law is violated, the government will not hesitate to file a case (against URC),’ she said in Filipino.
The spill was reported to have spread to 3,000 hectares of sea and affected parts of the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape and parts of the Bais Bay near Bais City and Manjuyod town.
Bais City Mayor Luigi Marcel Goñi condemned the latest spill from the distillery. He claimed similar incidents have happened in previous years.
For his part, Negros Oriental Governor Chaco Sagarbarria said the spill has affected 4,500 families from 13 barangays.
Castro said the DENR has already coordinated with the Philippine Coast Guard and the affected local government units (LGU) to contain the spill, which is poisonous to living organisms.
‘There has also been a conversation with the URC Bais Distillery since they need to fix (the environmental disaster) immediately,’ Castro said.
Last Monday, URC said it deployed 127 of its personnel to assist in repairing the damaged part of the containment lagoon.
The Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) issued a warning in the affected communities not to fish or collect aquatic organisms such as seaweed in the contaminated areas since it can be harmful to their health, according to Castro.