LEGAZPI CITY, Albay – “You can’t catch anything anymore, the water is dark and it smells very bad.”
In his more than five decades of fishing, Rodrigo Guerrero, 77, recalled how abundant the sea was before the Albay Agro-Industrial Development Corporation (Alindeco) operated in 1976.
“Back then, the livelihood in the sea was abundant. When you went to the sea, you wouldn’t come home without a catch. There was always a catch.”
According to him, their catch has declined since Alindeco dumped toxic waste into their coastal areas in Brgy. Pawa, Tabaco City to the point where they barely caught anything. “The fishes are really squirming, you can see it there in the shallow water.”
The toxic waste also affected the residents’ health. Fisherfolk Danilo Brinbuela, 68, had skin irritations and wounds due to the polluted water coming from Alindeco’s plant site.
Health Worries: Brinbuela is covered with scars from wounds caused by the toxic waste in the sea waters. Photo By Baretang Bikolnon
“It’s itchy. It’s been over three months. Fortunately, it’s drying up now. It used to be swollen,” Brinbuela said, showing the wound on his foot and the scars on his legs. “Because it has chemicals in it. Fortunately, it has been treated.”
Brinbuela has been fishing for seven years. “It seems like the fish here have weakened. Some are dying. We can’t stop fishing because that’s where we make a living.”
Guerrero and Brinbuela are among the 300 fisherfolk in Brgy. Pawa who witnessed how shrimp and fish eventually died due to the factory’s production waste dumped in the coastal areas in Tabaco City.
“That’s the big problem for fisherfolk. It’s really hard. [The fish catch] is so poor that they can’t support their children to college,” said Alan Carillo, president of Barangay Pawa Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council and member of Pawa Fisherfolk Association.
According to Carillo, they have been complaining about Alindeco’s toxic waste for decades. “Many [barangay] captains have passed through this [issue]. My grandmother was also a [barangay] captain before. They even gather together in each barangay because of Alindeco, and nothing happened to their grievances,” he said.
Alindeco produces Abaca pulp and non-wood pulp products for currency and banknotes, tea bags, meat casings, facial tissues, diapers, recycled paper, and other disposables. These products are exported to Japan, China, Germany, and other regions in Asia and Europe.
Alindeco President Menardo Jimenez is also an executive officer and part of the board of directors of San Miguel Food and Beverages, Incorporated. The company’s head office is in Quezon City while its plant site is located in Brgy. Balading, Malinao, Albay with an area of approximately five hectares.
From its plant site, Alindeco’s toxic waste passes through Brgy. Bariw in Malinao, Barangays San Carlos, Pawa and Tayhi in Tabaco City to Natunawan Cove, a source of food and livelihood for the residents in nearby barangays.
According to fisherfolk Carlos Barcenas, 69, the pollution affected their health, especially those who often go to polluted waters. “Sometimes, my skin itches, it feels like something is hurting me. When it heals, [the scar] is a little white.”
They already approached government agencies like the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) but so far nothing has happened, according to Carillo. “That’s what we don’t know, why, what happened. Even the director of the department went [to the scene], nothing has been done.”
Environmental Concern
Toxic Waste: From the plant site going to the coastal areas, the sea waters turn black and deadly to the fishes. Photo By Baretang Bikolnon
Alindeco is also allegedly destroying the environment, according to residents. “Those mangroves, you can see they don’t really grow. The DENR planted it, they even fenced it off so it wouldn’t be moved. There weren’t any leaves to be seen,” Carillo said.
“The company’s dumping of liquid chemicals into the sea is also harmful to the environment. New mangrove cuttings are difficult to cultivate since the soil along their shores has been saturated with the chemicals,” Lambat-Bicol said. “Alindeco is violating the fisherfolk’s right to health and a sustainable livelihood. By dumping waste into the sea, it is killing the marine life that is the main source of livelihood for fishermen along the coast of Tabaco City.”
According to Alindeco’s website, their company is dedicated to maintaining a pollution-free environment for its surrounding community. “We continuously improve our facilities and processes to ensure compliance with environmental standards and applicable statutory and regulatory requirements. This commitment to sustainability is at the core of our operations, helping us minimize our environmental impact while meeting the needs of our customers.”
Alindeco even received awards like the “Plaque of Environmental Achievement” in its effort to attain full compliance of operation with all applicable environmental standards required by the industry by-laws, rules and regulations by the DENR on June 30, 2017. The company also got a “Special Award” on the adoption of the Environmental Management System under the Philippine Environmental Partnership Program (PEPP) given on June 28, 2021.
Lambat-Bicol stood with the Pawa Fisherfolk Association in their call to investigate and hold Alindeco accountable for its dumping of toxic waste into the sea.
Even though the company and the government have not yet responded to their grievances, according to the Pawa Fisherfolk Association, they will continue to seek accountability.
“So right now, the fishermen are still fighting, hoping that a solution will be given because of the many struggles, nothing is happening. Maybe when it reaches the high officials, a solution will be given,” Carillo said. “By forming an organization, there will be a voice so that people can have one opinion and express their grievances.”
According to Barcenas, Alindeco should have proper waste management to prevent the destruction of the sea and its resources. “It is only necessary that [their] waste be stored in a way that does not affect the sea.”
“I hope the fishermen here can get help, their grievances can be conveyed to the authorities, and I hope they will be given attention so that their grievances don’t go unheeded,” Carillo said. (RTS, DAA)
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