The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has filed complaints against the Universal Robina Corp. – Sugar and Renewables (URC-SURE) Bais Distillery for alleged violations related to the wastewater spill into the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape.

DENR – Negros Island Region Executive Director Charlie Fabre told the Philippine News Agency on Wednesday, November 26, that the complaints were lodged before the Bais City prosecutor’s office on November 21.

Fabre said respondents were the URC-SURE, represented by officers at the time of the spill, for “violations of Republic Act 11038 or the Expanded NIPAS (National Integrated Protected Area System) Act 2018.”

The complaint specifically mentioned paragraphs F, N and O of Section 18 of the Republic Act.

The manager, pollution control officer, and others were included in the complaints, although Fabre did not mention their names.

The filing of complaints follows an investigation conducted in the weeks after the October 26 spent wash spill into Bais Bay and nearby areas of Bais City and Manjuyod, which resulted in water discoloration, fish kills and the displacement of thousands of fisherfolk and businesses.

“The violations include dumping of waste into the sea from the lagoon, which did not have an application for a SAPA [Special Use Agreement in Protected Areas],” Fabre said.

The lagoon is part of the protected area of the Tañon Strait, he added.

Meanwhile, Fabre said the decision on the distillery’s resumption of operations is up to the department’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB).

The distillery’s operations remain suspended after the EMB issued a cease-and-desist order against the firm pending an ongoing investigation.

Fabre said the 17-hectare lagoon from where the wastewater originated will no longer be used as a containment for the distillery’s spent wash, even after the breached wall has already repaired. (PNA)