Philippines polluters – gallery of shame

The Philippines Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has released a list of the worst polluters in Metro Manila in an attempt to publicly shame environmental offenders, and invited the media to "treat this information to your editorial hearts content".


Offending firms are divided into two categories – Red and Black.

Firms found to be discharging highly polluting wastewater and whose management have not exerted efforts to reduce and treat these harmful discharges to meet the existing water quality standards include the following:

1. Vicmar International Corporation

2. Los Primos Mfg. Corp.

3. Maxima Meat Fair

4. Premyo Piggery Farm Corp.

5. Danny’s Farm

6. Chanmeco Paper Industries

7. Crayons Processing

8. Tobi Food Mfg.

9. La Perla Bakery

10. Marigold Commodities

These firms have been rated BLACK under the Industrial ECOWATCH, a category which includes all firms found to be non-complying with applicable environmental laws, rules and regulations, do not have the required anti-pollution devices and measures installed and/or pose serious damage to the environment due to the release of wastewater which exceed the guidelines for toxic and hazardous substances. Automatically, these firms are endorsed by the DENR to the Pollution Adjudication Board (PAB) so that the appropriate penalties may be imposed against them.

Those firms found to have some pollution control devices but were discharging polluting wastewater which still do not meet the water quality standards include the following:

1. Sancanco Canning Corporation

2. Samson Piggery

3. Filspin, Inc.

4. Filtex Manufacturing Corp.

5. Leslie Corporation

6. Philippine Gulaman Industries

7. Tropical Island Refinery Corp.

8. Philippine Ink, Inc.

9. Goldilocks Bakeshop, Inc.

These firms have been rated RED under the Industrial ECOWATCH, a category which includes all firms that have some pollution control devices installed which are however insufficient to bring the firm to compliance with environmental laws, rules and regulations.

The Black firms have been endorsed to the Pollution Adjudication Board “to face the full brunt of the law”, and then to face rehabilitation through their own efforts and through assistance from the department. The Red ones “shall be encouraged to further improve their ability to completely process their industrial wastes, and to improve their waste minimisation and clean technology capabilities”.

The list is limited to manufacturing firms in Metro Manila, and the rating criteria are limited to biological oxygen demand. The DENR plans to extend the Industrial Ecowatch programme to the rest of the country next year.

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