Environmentalist sues SM execs for violating Clean Air Act

SM Prime Holdings president Hans Sy was charged on Thursday before the Quezon City Prosecutor’s Office for allegedly violating the Clean Air Act by using fire extinguishers with ozone-depleting substances in two SM shopping malls in Quezon City. Sy, together with the building administrators and procurement managers of SM North Edsa and SM Fairview, were charged with violation of Republic Act 8749 or the Clean Air Act of 1999 by Hilario Andes of the Philippine Clean Air Foundation. Reached for a reaction, an SM Prime official said the company will "reserve comment until we receive a court copy of the alleged complaint." Another SM executive, however, said the fire extinguishers in question were provided to them by the Quezon City fire department. In his complaint, Andes said the chemicals in the fire extinguishers do not only destroy the environment by contributing to the depletion of the ozone layer in the stratosphere, but have also been shown to be hazardous to public health. Under Section 47 of the Clean Air Act, the complainant said the respondents' acts are punishable with a fine of not less than P10,000 but not more than P100,000 or 6 months to 6 years imprisonment or both for every violation or for each number cylinder found to contain ODS.-GMANews.TV