THE Cebu City government has issued a show cause order against Vic Enterprises directing the construction supply firm located in Barangay Mabolo to explain why the company should not be shut down for numerous violations found by city inspectors.
In a letter signed by Mayor Tomas Osmeña, businessman Vicente Ongchanhoi was given ten days from receipt of the show cause order to explain in writing why all the establishments of Vic Enterprises located within Cebu City should not be closed down despite the lack of business permits and their failure to comply with regulatory requirements, among other things.
The City Hall inspection was prompted by numerous informal complaints from residents in the area including damaged roads, air pollution and heavy traffic caused by the hardware’s operations.
Inspectors from the City Treasurer’s Office (CTO) reported that five warehouses of Vic Enterprises located in F. Gochan Street and Cebu North Road areas operated without final business permits.
For its part, the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) reported that 63 of the 85 vehicles registered under the firm were reported to have committed traffic violations on numerous occasions.
“To make matters worse, this report did not even include those vehicles found to be registered under your business establishments which carry only temporary plates,” a portion of the mayor’s order read.
CCTO also reported that the firm’s delivery trucks which have been going in and out of the company premises have been obstructing the traffic flow along M. J. Cuenco Avenue.
Meanwhile, the Cebu City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CCENRO) reported that last January 26, Vic Enterprises was issued a notice by Engr. William Cuñado, Regional Director of the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-7) for violating the Implementing Rules and Regulations of the Philippines Clean Air Act which prohibits the “emission of particulate matter from any source whatsoever.”
CCENRO observed that despite the lapse of more than nine months since the notice, thick dust and mud within the premises of the establishment were still found.
“Verily, the instances mentioned above are clearly a failure on your part to comply with the regulatory requirements as mandated by applicable laws and/or ordinances,” Osmeña said in his order.
In a meeting with Osmeña last month, the owner of Vic Enterprises, explained to the mayor that they had already addressed the problems raised in the complaints.
The mayor, however, was not convinced with the statements of Vicente Ong that the problem has already been looked into.