DENR orders 2 establishments, 1 facility closed for Manila Bay rehab

Due to environmental law violations, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources  on Sunday ordered the temporary closure of two establishments and a waste treatment facility near Manila Bay as the DENR officially began its rehabilitation efforts of the polluted bay.

Establishments ordered closed include the Aristocrat Restaurant along Roxas Boulevard, Gloria Maris Restaurant near Folk Arts Theater, and one of the water treatment facilities of the Esplanade (San Miguel By The Bay) in The Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City, according to a report by Mao Dela Cruz on Super Radyo dzBB.

TINGNAN: Aristocrat Restaurant, ipinasara ng DENR sa pamamagitan ng LLDA dahil sa pagtatapon ng maruming tubig sa Manila Bay. | via Mao Dela Cruz pic.twitter.com/d1pavm7x3d

— DZBB Super Radyo (@dzbb) January 27, 2019

TINGNAN: DENR at Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), ipinasara na ang isa pang establisimyento sa Roxas Boulevard sa unang araw ng rehabilitasyon ng Manila Bay. | via Mao Dela Cruz pic.twitter.com/JUi0rIK2ci

DENR's order stemmed from the supposed violation of three establishments of The Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004.

The closure orders were issued through the Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA).

LLDA General Manager Jaime Medina said that these three establishments have been discharging pollutive waste water to the Manila Bay.

"'Pag bumagsak sa water pollution doon sa testing na ginagawa, immediately mag-pe-penalty na po sila. Ang range ho niya, maximum 200,000 pesos per day," Medina explained on GMA 7 news program "24 Oras Weekend".

According to the report, establishments who fail to step up and address such concerns risked having their environmental compliance certificate (ECC) and Mayor's Permit revoked, and their businesses closed.

According to the Manila Bay Inter-agency Task Force, only 35 percent of the 43 inspected hotels are compliant with the standards, while seven hotels do not even have a sewerage treatment facility.

Out of the 285 commercial establishments that the DENR inspected, only 59 have sewerage treatment plant while 120 have no sewerage treatment facility.

DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu said that they are expecting ordering closure of more establishments in the next days.

Before serving the closure orders, the DENR officially launched the Manila Bay rehabilitation program with a Solidarity Walk which was joined by around 5,000 people. —Joviland Rita/LBG/BM, GMA News