QC tire plant ordered closed

The Quezon City government has issued a closure order to a rubber tire plant for its continued failure to comply with environmental requirements.

The closure order against the Adanac Development Corp. plant located along Howmart Road, Baesa, Novaliches, Quezon City has become irrevocable after the plant owners failed to comply with environmental standards the second time.

Quezon City Mayor Feliciano Belmonte Jr. believes that such business should be located in an industrial park and not within a residential district because the health of the people is the primary concern of the city government.

Inspections conducted by the Business Permits and License Office (BPLO) and the Environmental Protection and Waste Management Department (EPWMD) confirmed that the tire plant would be a health hazard if allowed to continue to operate in the area.

According to complaints filed against the rubber plant, the Adanac Development Corp. was the former Daytona Rubber Corp. whose tire plant in Cavite was also padlocked because of non-compliance with environmental standards.

On Oct. 9 last year, the BPLO issued a cease and desist order against the tire plant in Baesa on the basis of inadequate local and national permits and measures to mitigate the foul odor and air pollution coming from the plant.

The company president, Cesar Cun, requested the EPWMD for an 18-hour operation so that the plant’s newly installed equipment and safeguards against foul odor and smoke could be inspected.

The EPWMD and BPLO granted the request but later found out that the plant was operating 24 hours daily, a clear violation of their request because the cease and desist order was still in effect. It was also found out that the firm’s permit to operate issued by the DENR was only valid until. Dec. 15, 2006.