Supreme Court stops construction at Gokongwei petrochem facility in Batangas

25-Sep-13

The Supreme Court has stopped the Gokongweis from constructing a perimeter fence for a petrochemical facility in Batangas province, after residents complained of possible harmful effects to nearby communities, as per GMA News. The fence is being built for a naptha plant that is planned to be erected near the boundary of the petitioners' Barangay Ibaba and Barangay Simlong. In a notice of resolution dated September 17, the high court sitting en banc issued a temporary environmental protection order against the construction of the facility of the JG Summit Petrochemical Corporations (JGSPC). JGSPC is a company under the Gokongwei-led JG Summit Holdings Incorporated, one of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines. The residents argued that the JGSPC started building the fence even if it had not yet set up a canal that would be the alternate passageway of the water coming down from the mountains. The petitioners said JGSPC violated Section 2 of Republic Act 9275 or the Clean Water Act which provides a promotion of "environmental strategies, use of appropriate economic instruments and of control mechanisms for the protection of water resources," as well as the promotion of "commercial and industrial processes products that are environmental friendly and energy efficient.”