Concerned residents complained of skin diseases with the continued ship wrecking operations in their barangay and want the Ombudsman to suspend their barangay officials.
LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — Several residents from four Sitios in Barangay Punta Engaño in Lapu-Lapu City have filed a complaint before the Ombudsman Visayas for violation of R.A. 3019 otherwise known as The Anti Graft and Corrupt Practices Act against their barangay officials due to the continued ship wrecking operation of M/V Diamond Highway in Sitio Proper Jansen which allegedly posed health problems to their children and some elderlies.
In their complaint which was received by the Office of the Ombudsman Visayas on May 13, 2024, they alleged that the officials headed by Punong Barangay Crisanto Estardo, Sanguniang Barangay Members, Mario Bacali, Elizabeth Martin, Carlito Pagobo, Marko Jonas Estardo, Vicente Dungog, Rebecca Adamos, and Ranulfo Abejo Jr. violated section 3, sub-paragraph (e) and section 4, sub-paragraph (c) of R.A. 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees.
In the previous weeks, residents of Sitios Lupa, Colo, Proper Jansen and Mangal have complained of skin rashes and other apparent skin diseases, since the ship breaking works that produced fiber dust began late last year.
According to their complaint, sometime in December 2023, people in the area simultaneously experienced cough and colds or respiratory tract problems which they said having a clear relation to the fiber dust floated in the air and landed on their plants, rooftops and laundry and affected the air they breathed caused by the recycling activities of the said ship.
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Aside from pollution, they complained of loud noise caused by salvaging operation. They also witnessed an oil spillage from the said ship that contaminated the seawater nearby.
For several times these residents pleaded to Mayor Junard Ahong Chan to stop the wrecking works since they were confused why the breaking operation still continued when there had been an existing “cease and desist order” issued by the Mayor and the Barangay Council issued a resolution approving the continued ship breaking operation.
In their complaint, they cited that the said officials violated Section 3 (e) under R.A. 3019for giving MV Diamond Highway ship and Pilipinas Precious Metals Resources Inc., (PPMRI) management an unwarranted benefits, undue advantage or preference in the discharge of their official and administrative function through manifest partiality by allowing them to continue their ship breaking operations despite the Cease and Desist Order issued by the office of the Mayor.
They also charged that the said respondents violated Section 4, (c) of R.A. 6713 for doing acts contrary to public safety and public interest by allowing resumption of ship breaking operation of MV Diamond Highway vessel which posed serious environmental and health risks to its constituents.
The complaint also charged the said barangay officials of violating grave misconduct in the performance of duty penalized by R.A. 6770 or the Ombudsman Act of 1989 for its failure to enforce the Cease-and-Desist Order (CDO) issued by the office of Lapulapu City Mayor Junard Ahong Chan and failure to act and protect its constituents from damaging effects of the said ship breaking operations.
They said that the CDO has clearly pointed out that PPMRI violated environmental protocols and guidelines during salvage operations. However the barangay officials of Punta Engaño have not provided evidence that PPMRI had put up corrective measures to contain the residual or hazardous wastes generated during operations before allowing them to resume said ship breaking activities.
The said concerned citizens of Barangay Punta Engaño prayed for the suspension of barangay officials as they invoked Section 24, R.A. 6770 that the Ombudsman or his deputy may preventively suspend them if their continued stay in office may prejudice the case filed against them.
Barangay Captain Estardo, however, refused to comment about the complaint.
Estardo also said that he already received a copy of the complaint.