(Last of three parts)
By: Bing Farres
Talakayin natin ang report ng City Health Office (CHO) noong June 2 meeting. Bagatma’t sila lang ang may nakahandang report, mali-mali or misleading naman ang mga laman nito.
Una, ang sabi ng CHO, ang owner sa business permit ay Marlon Dela Rosa. Mali, a simple check with BPLD (Business Permit and Licensing Division) showed that Marlon Dela Rosa closed his Dela Rosa Poultry Farm (single proprietorship) way back year 2006, at sabi niya sa isang affidavit na hindi siya nag-operate from September 1997 up to October 2006 (close to 9 years). A new business was opened by his wife Agnes Dela Rosa, with new business name, Dela Rosa Vega Farm in 2006. BPLD also said that Agnes dela Rosa is just paying for her business taxes but is not completing the whole process. So how can she have a business permit? How can CHO miss this and make this mistake? All they have to do is look for the establishment’s business permit kung meron o wala, current o hindi, kanino – yun lang di niyo pa magawa ng tama.
Pangalawa, sabi nila “isolated case” ito (poultry ni Agnes Dela Rosa). Hindi po. Punta kayo sa Sampaguita Farm sa Tibagan. Sa gate pa lang ng farm, dudumugin na kayo ng langaw. Tanungin niyo ang mga residente sa paligid, problema din nila ang langaw, aabot na rin daw ng mga 20 years na problema nila ang langaw tuwing mag-harvest ang poultry. Isolated case? Kalokohan.
Pangatlo, meron daw silang copy ng ECC. Mali na naman. Ang ECC ay ECC ni Marlon dela Rosa for Dela Rosa Poultry Farm. Hindi na-transfer ni Marlon Dela Rosa ang kanyang ECC kay Agnes Dela Rosa. Kahit mag-asawa pa sila, hindi ito puwedeng basta-basta lang gamitin ni Agnes dela Rosa nang walang proper transfer, dahil ang ECC ay naibigay sa sole proprietorship ni Marlon isang separate legal entity. Hindi pupuwedeng ikatwiran ni Agnes na conjugal itong ECC at puwede niya itong gamitin ng ganun-ganun lang. Isang patunay nito, noon 2010 ay nag-apply si Agnes dela Rosa ng ECC, ngunit hindi siya nabigyan. Kaya ngayon, sinusubukan naman niyang ipa-amend ang ECC ng naibigay sa negosyo noon ng kanyang asawa para ligal na niya itong magamit. Ang sinasabi natin dito ay ganito ba katanga ang mga taga-CHO na pinapaniwalaan nila hook-line-and-sinker ang sabi-sabi na may ECC at Business permit ang nasabing farm? Technically, WALA! Goodness naman kayo.
Pangatlo, sabi rin ng inspector ng CHO na noong 2008 or 2009, naaksiyunan daw nila ang reklamo tungkol sa waste water. Anong aksiyon ang ginawa? In-inspect? And then? Anong nangyari? Wala ng follow up? Binigyan ba ng Sanitary Order ang poultry ng mga dela Rosa? Nag-comply ba sila? Bakit hanggang sa ngayon ganun pa rin ang problema sa waste water? Wala namang nabago?!
Pang-apat, noong February (this year), may verbal complaint daw against the poultry tungkol sa langaw at pinuntahan daw nila ito, at may mga nakita daw silang na patay na langaw. Iyon pala eh, so may nakarating na pala sa inyo na naunang reklamo sa langaw, nagbigay ba kayo ng Sanitary Order sa pagkakataong iyon? Wala. Puro verbal lang. Bakit? Nakapatong din ba kayo? Kung ginagawa ninyo ng tama ang trabaho ninyo, napakarami na sigurong Sanitary Order ang naibigay ninyo sa poultry farm ng mga Dela Rosa at na-recommend na rin ninyo siguro ito for closure, at sa ngayon siguro ay sarado na iyan, at wala ng problema ang mga residente.
Kayong mga nasa CHO naman oo, ginagawa naman talaga ninyong bobo at tanga ang mga tao. Huwag namang ganyan. Makakarating tayo sa Civil Service Commission, Office of the Ombusdman, at Office of the President kung ganyan kayo.
Gusto naming ipaalala sa inyo ang MISSION AT GOAL ng inyong opisina. MISSION – To administer high quality, cost effective care to individuals, families, and communities, support preventive and promotive health care programs for community members, and maintain supportive environment for health manpower development. GOAL – To improve the health status of the people of Tarlac City through preventive and promotive health care, community participation, available basic health services, accessible health care facilities, and clean environment. Question is, do you have statistics on the diarrhea incidence in these fly-infested areas? You should have. The barangay health worker should also have data on that, because for the past few months that we were here, we often hear cases of diarrhea in children and adult.
Community fighting back
The community is really upset.
Upset from the inaction of the leaders they elected. We were able to obtain a copy of a petition way back 2010 with 2012 signatories. Same issues. Langaw and waste water. This was addressed to the City Health Department, through the Barangay leadership then, copy furnished the City Mayor, Vice Mayor, and the CENRO. Nothing happened, residents say.
Then the 2015 petition, wherein nothing also happened although the Barangay Chairman (Rosalinda Sanchez) made a claim that “naayos na ‘yan” which the residents vehemently deny.
According to Juliet Mallari, a resident in the area, there is another petition with more or less 400 signatories for the same issue, also not acted upon. She said when they went to the Barangay to get a copy, they were told “wala na yun, natapon na.”
Recently, 4 residents (Freddie Farres, Juliet Mallari, Carmelita Ronquillo, and Flora Tabamo) filed complaints against Barangay Chairman Sanchez and barangay secretary Tarcilo Capulong at the Office of the Ombudsman for their inaction on the 2015 petition. Mallari and Tabamo are relatives of Sanchez, but they said they were left with no choice because they have been suffering for years already and their complaints are not being acted upon by the Barangay.
On June 29, another petition was signed (with 332 signatories) addressed to Mayor Cristy Angeles and Vice Mayor Genaro Mendoza calling for non-issuance of business permit for the Dela Vega Poultry Farm.
On July 10, the DENR-EMB conducted a technical conference with Agnes Dela Rosa and the complaining residents. During the meeting, it was disclosed that Dela Rosa recently filed for amendment of the ECC previously issued to her husband’s business. The complaining residents will oppose the application for amendment. The EMB said, they do not have the authority to recommend for closure of the farm, and all they can do is impose fine for every violation. Operating without a proper ECC is a violation, not allowing EMB entry for inspection is another violation.
Lastly, in the recent letter of one of the residents (Freddie Farres) to the City Mayor, he pointed out that the land where the Dela Rosa Vega Farm is situated is still classified as “unirrigated riceland,” in violation of the city’s zoning ordinance. It should be noted that the poultry farm is in the middle of a thickly populated residential area. Farres reiterated that Dela Rosa should have her land reclassified first – which is the first step to do in this kind of business in accordance with the City’s Resolution No. 31 (zoning ordinance) signed on January 31, 2003. Agnes Dela Rosa applied for a new business permit for her new business entity, Dela Rosa Vega Farm on 2006.
The complaining residents say that they are happy that now their concerns and complaint are moving forward. “Noon hanggang reklamo lang kami sa Barangay di naman kami pinapansin. Hindi naman namin alam kung anong gagawin namin. Hindi naman namin alam makipag-diskusyon sa mga matataas na tao na mga yan,” a resident said. For his part, Farres said that everyone should be vigilant. “Hindi pa tapos ang laban. Nagsisimula pa lang tayo. Hindi tayo titigil hanggat hindi natin makamit ang hustisya at matigil ang suliranin ng mga residente ng Sitio Pag-asa at Sitio Kasulukan,” he said.
Farres further added that this could just be the tip of the iceberg. “Baka marami pa sa Lungsod ng Tarlac at sa Probinsya ng Tarlac ang nasa sitwasyon na katulad namin. Huwag po kayong matakot. Magtulungan po tayo, makakayanan natin ito,” he said.
Ed’s Note: This paper will continue to monitor this issue and will continue to research on the abuses of poultry owners. If you have information about flies caused by irresponsible poultry operation in your area, please contact us.