Gov. Gwen Garcia asked the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB-7) director Ma. Victoria Cabrera to clarify some ambiguity in a show cause order issued by their central office against Apo Cement Corporation.
The clarification is intended to avoid misinterpretation that could lead to the stoppage of the operations of the cement plant based in the City of Naga.
In a show cause order dated January 15, 2025, the EMB Central Office directed Apo Cement to respond in writing why it should not be fined for violating Presidential Decree No. 1586 which establishes the Environmental Impact Statement System.
According to the EMB’s Notice of Violation, Apo Cement was found undertaking activities other than what were stipulated in the submitted Environmental Impact Assessment reports, specifically in establishing an “open storage area for coal and copper slag stockpile, and a copper slag storage facility.”
However, the language of the document could lead to a different interpretation, as it also directs Apo Cement to “cease and desist any and all operations of activities” — which could be construed as an order for the stoppage of the cement plant’s operations.
Gov. Gwen emphasized the importance of specifying that the cease-and-desist order applies only to the maintenance or operation of the open coal storage facility in question, rather than placing the cement plant operations to a halt.
Cabrera and DENR-7 Director Paquito Melicor assured the Governor that they will withdraw the show cause order and issue another one with clearer terms to avoid misinterpretation which could lead to the unnecessary disruption to the plant’s operations.
The Governor also clarified that earlier directives of the Provincial Government, including two cease-and-desist orders issued this year, were specifically aimed at halting quarry operations conducted by Apo Land and Quarry Corp. and Solid Earth Development Corp, and not the cement plants of Apo Cement and Taiheiyo.
Present during the discussion were Apo Cement’s new boss Herbert Consunji; its former executives Luis Franco and Atty. Perry Pe; as well as ALQC Quarry Operations Superintendent William Melano Jr. | BJR
