Pampanga Residents Accuse SMC of Water Pollution

San Miguel Corporation, a food and beverage giant, faces the wrath of residents as it is accused of polluting the water source of a community where its industrial complex is located.

BY RONALD B. ESCANLAR
Bulatlat

Entrance to the San Miguel brewery in Quebiawan, San Fernando, Pampanga Photo by Ronald Escanlar

SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga - Through the years, all commercials of San Miguel Beer, flagship product of San Miguel Corporation (SMC), have one thing in common. They all espouse friendship and camaraderie, not to mention the virtues of helping one another in times of need. It is therefore surprising that a community now accuses SMC of polluting a creek and of ignoring the residents’ demand to rectify the situation. Indeed, residents of Quebiawan in San Fernando, Pampanga some 60 kms north of Manila, are not at all pleased with the way things are going between them and the San Fernando brewery and chicken-dressing complex of SMC.

Unkept promises

On Oct. 20, 2004, members of Quebiawan Muna (Quebiawan First), a grassroots organization of Quebiawan residents, staged a picket at the gates of the San Fernando Brewery Complex to protest the pollution of Quebiawan creek, the village's main water source.

Quebiawan Muna president Roy Manalo, a former employee of the Magnolia chicken-dressing plant at the complex, said SMC's actions were in clear violation of a Memorandum of Agreement (MoA) signed between SMC, the residents and the former landowner in 1979.

Manalo said the MoA stipulated that SMC should prioritize Quebiawan residents in hiring employees, in addition to providing facilities for potable water and to keeping the creek free from pollution.

Polluted water sources

Upon the request of Quebiawan Muna, the Center for Environmental Concerns (CEC) made a study of the village's water resources with help from the National Engineering Center (NEC) and the Samahang Nagtataguyod ng Agham at Teknolohiya para sa Sambayanan (Agham), an organization of scientists advocating people-centered science and technology.

The studies showed that water in the area failed potability tests. The samples were taken from the local water district, public wells and private household pumps.

Samples taken from the main wastewater outlet of SMC contained 8,800 milligrams per liter (mg/L) of total dissolved solids (TDS). This is five times higher than the prescribed 2,000 mg/L of TDS in Administrative Order No. 35 of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

The samples also recorded a Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) of 67 mg/L. This is three times more than the recorded BOD in 1995 of the already polluted Pasig River which was between 10.4 to 19.3 mg/L.

Forcing SMC to the table

Earlier this year, Quebiawan Muna successfully blocked a wastewater discharge tunnel of SMC for a week. The action effectively shut down plant operations, said Manalo.

"Sinara nga namin iyung dinadaluyan ng tubig papunta dun sa creek, ang San Miguel tunnel, para maobliga ang San Miguel na humarap sa amin at mapag-usapan ang mga demands namin’ (We blocked the San Miguel tunnel that discharged wastewater into the creek to force San Miguel to face us regarding our demands.),  Manalo said.

Incidentally, the flagship project of the city government of San Fernando is "Sagip-Ilog (Rescue the River)," a plan to revive the San Fernando River, which flows behind the city hall.

In an interview, Connie Morga, community affairs officer, said the latest water analysis report of the environmental management bureau was done in 2003. The report classified the San Fernando River as a “class C” river. This means that the river cannot support marine life due to high levels of pollution.

The city government has recently passed Ordinance No. 2003-009 that prohibits the disgorging of domestic, agricultural and industrial wastes into the city's river and various creeks, including Quebiawan Creek.

Morga said there were already plans to update data on the level of pollution in the city's waterways.

4 talking points still unresolved

The city government facilitated a series of dialogues between SMC officials and Quebiawan Muna.

Based on the minutes of the meetings obtained by Bulatlat, both parties talked last March 31 and agreed to resolve four issues, which are priority of employment; rehabilitation of the creek, including rip-rapping of the creek side; provision of potable water supply for residential and agricultural use; and assistance for roofs damaged by pollution caused by the plant's operations.

Quebiawan Muna was represented by Manalo, Crispin Tandog, Jr. and Ivor Salisi. Quebiawan barangay kagawad (village councilor) Oliver Cunanan was also present during the proceedings. SMC was represented by lawyer Mike Carillo, Vic E. Quizon, and Roy Siojo. Hydro-geologist Lea Bron-Sikat attended the meeting as a resource person.

Bron-Sikat said that SMC extracted water from wells that were approximately 800 feet deep. Since the wells being tapped by Quebiawan residents were approximately 80 feet deep, she said that it was very unlikely that SMC affected Quebiawan's water sources.

She countered the CEC study, saying that the water pollution in Quebiawan was very unlikely caused by SMC, since this might be due to other factors such as human and animal wastes that contaminate the village's shallow wells.

Manalo said the dialogues sponsored by the city government were getting nowhere. After two months of meetings, Manalo said they have not resolved even just one of the four issues.

"Malinaw na ilang beses na kaming nagne-negosasyon dito, hanggang sa ngayon pinag-uusapan pa ang employment” (It is clear that we have been negotiating for some time, until now we are still talking about employment), Manalo explained.

Taking the issue to Congress

At the April 21 meeting between the SMC and Quebiawan Muna, the latter staged a walkout after sensing a deadlock. City Administrator Fer Caylao consequently requested a private meeting involving a representative from each side.

Manalo said they have agreed to conclude the dialogues, and for SMC to present a concrete plan on April 28. If they are not satisfied with SMC’s proposed plan, Manalo said that they would go to Congress to seek redress. Bulatlat

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