PPMC bars workers from entering Poro port

SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union — Sixty-six thousand sacks of imported rice needed immediately to augment rice shortage in Northern Luzon were trapped at the seaport here after armed personnel of the Poro Point Management Corp. (PPMC) blocked hundreds of port workers and authorities of the National Food Authority (NFA) from entering the pier yesterday morning.

PPMC, a subsidiary of the Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA), ignored the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued in favor of the Poro Point Industrial Corp. (PPIC), a private port operator, by ordering its security guards to stop workers and NFA personnel from unloading the rice from Vietnam.

PPMC guards blocked the workers from entering the main gate of the Poro Point Special Economic and Freeport Zone along Pennsylvania Avenue here.

Court sheriffs Eduardo Padua III, Sammy Rivera and Lito Fantastico, went to the area to convince PPMC to comply with the TRO and allow the resumption of port operations. However, PPMC authorities insist that there is a cease-and-desist order (CDO) from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) against PPIC because of the latter’s failure to obtain an environmental compliance certificate (ECC).

PPMC guards claimed that the CDO prevented PPIC from operating Pier 1 and 2 where the cargo vessel MV Hai Ha docked Sunday.

The sheriffs were not allowed by PPMC guards to enter their office allegedly on orders of their bosses. PPMC officials also snubbed sheriffs and ordered them to go to the DENR instead.

However, Padua said they have no business going to the DENR because the concern of the TRO is the PPMC and BCDA.

"Why are we going to the DENR? They are not part of the case and they are not bound by the TRO. Those mentioned to comply are the PPMC and the BCDA. The implementation of the order from DENR is supposed be enforced by representatives from the agency and not the PPMC. It is very clear in the TRO that PPIC will continue its usual operation in the port," Padua said.

A PPMC security official, who requested anonymity, told The STAR that they respect the TRO but they are also ordered to comply with the DENR order preventing the PPIC from operating the port.

"PPIC can operate if they want to but they have to comply with the regulations," the official said.

On Friday, the PPIC, through its port manager, Rene Venturina, was allowed to continue operating the port after Silverio Mangaoang Jr., Philippine Port Authority (PPA) manager, who earlier asked the BCDA and PPMC to take control of the seaport, conceded and complied with the TRO.

However, before the PPIC can take full control of the port operations, DENR officials led by Joel Salvador, chief of the environmental management bureau in Ilocos, implemented the CDO and ordered PPIC to stop its operation until it complies with the ECC requirement.

Salvador told The STAR that he issued the CDO because PPIC violated several environmental laws and his order has nothing to do with the TRO.

"They (PPIC) will stop operations temporarily until such time the ECC is secured. They should comply because the situation is getting worse. We have several findings were already relayed to the PPIC management as early as 2005 that there were lapses in their operations which contribute to water pollution," Salvador said.

Salvador advised PPIC to temporarily divert its operation to avoid the delays.

He said the PPMC is not deputized to carry out the DENR order because it was already being implemented. He claimed that PPMC may be concerned that PPIC, who is one of the locators of the economic zone, is contributing to pollution.

Venturina told The STAR that the PPMC is blatantly defying court rulings such as the TRO and the injunction order.

For his part, NFA manager Edilberto Libatique, appealed to PPMC president Felix Racadio to allow them to immediately unload the imported rice.