Clark Freeport—“Arbitrary and unnecessary.”
This was how the Clark Investors and Locators Association (CILA) has described the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Administrative Order (DAO) No. 2016-08 on Water Quality Guidelines and General Effluent Standards (GES) as it expressed its objection and apprehensions against the order.
Dr. Frankie Villanueva, former president of CILA and now chair of its foreign investment advocacy, safe and technology (FAST), said it appears that (DAO) No. 2016-08 was a “midnight” directive by then DENR secretary Ramon Paje bereft of any study, or technical research.
Villanueva said the Clark Water Corp. (CWC) is set to implement the order with the establishment of a P1.5 billion waste water treatment facility on Friday, January 15.
Villanueva explained that this will mean a possible rate increase of 100 percent by the CWC, which is “unjustifiable at this time of the raging pandemic.”
He said the DAO No. 2016-08 appears to be without basis as CILA’s request for a study were ignored.