Local environment office finds violations in Leyte breeding, processing farm
Leyte map
MANILA, Philippines — The Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) in Leyte has found violations in the operations of an animal breeding and processing farm in Barangay San Joaquin, Palompon.
The PENRO said the DBSN Farms Agriventures Corporation has no permit to quarry or dig dumpsites to contain the wastes the farm produces in the area.
The DBSN, which reportedly owned by local officials, has a 55,000-capacity chicken dressing plant in Albuera and a breeder farm in San Joaquin, Palompon with a capacity of 88,000 chicken heads.
In a one-page certification issued on July 14, 2023, PENRO officer-in-charge Macarthur O. Flores said that DBSN/DBSN Breeder Farm has “no existing record” for any permit applied for, or application “relative to any quarry operations” in the barangay.
The certification was noted by Jose Raymund A. Acol, who is the Assistant Provincial Legal Officer of Leyte and Overall Supervising Team Leader of the PSAG Task Force.
Leyte Rep. Richard Gomez, through House Resolution No. 778, has told the House Committee on Environment and Natural Resources that the DBSN Breeder Farm has been polluting the soil, air resources and waters of the Albuera-Tinag-an stream system that drains into the Ormoc Bay.
READ: Gomez raises concern over environmental law violations in Leyte
During the House panel investigation, lawmakers found out that the breeder farm has been burying their chicken solid wastes in a dumpsite illegally excavated on Lot 5150 in Barangay San Joaquin.
The dumpsite is located inside the perimeter of the Palompon Watershed and Forest Reserve that was established under Proclamation 212 issued by the late president Corazon Aquino in 1988.
In line with the findings of the House committee’s investigation, Gomez has proposed the filing of criminal and administrative charges before the Office of the Ombudsman against the owners for gross violation of the country’s land and environmental laws.
He has likewise recommended that the House panel “come up with a report and a conclusion” that the owners, along with complicit employees of the DENR regional office, “be charged” for violation of the Forestry Act and environmental management laws for environment pollution.
Subscribe to INQUIRER PLUS to get access to The Philippine Daily Inquirer & other 70+ titles, share up to 5 gadgets, listen to the news, download as early as 4am & share articles on social media. Call 896 6000.
