Living in Barangay Mambatangan for almost 7 years, was refreshing, and the country way of living is such a dream. Not until we have experienced this kind of nuisance for almost a year or more. It was an unexpected happening as I may call it, in view to the fact that, most of the inhabitants here in Barangay Mambatangan located in highway are solely residential.
There had been complaints from fellow residents located at the Barangay Mambatangan proper until the boundary of Barangay Puerto. You could imagine how wide the spread of foul smell, the suffering of the residents nearby, how much more this time of Covid19 Pandemic where everyone needs to breathe in fresh air. Even the health of the senior citizen and the children are at risk.
In addition, the Barangay Mambatangan Council sharpen their thoughts on this. They've been merging their ideas and possible actions. In fact, one of the Barangay Mambatangan Council Hon. Junrey P. Lagat had his interview from Northern Mindanao Daily Source
With this, the united concerned citizens of Barangay Mambatangan hereby sending this message to all government agencies and the possible people involve throughout the nearby area affected to such nuisance.
And we quote,
"Mambatangan is one of the Barangays of Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon located at the wide span of land area above the winding road of the Carmen Hill of Puerto, Cagayan de Oro City, in Mindanao.
At the coordinate of close to five kilometres from Barangay Puerto going south to Barangay Alae of Manolo Fortich, Bukidnon and forty meters west of the National Highway before the cross road to Barangay Balubal, a Building was located and was presently on continuous operation producing poultry and animal feeds. At the eastern side of the Hi-way, our Barangay Mambatangan was located.
This building was issued a Building Permit by the Building Official of Cagayan de Oro City to construct office. There was no mentioned that their product will emit a terrible offensive smell during the public hearing, so the attending Barangay Personnel of Mambatangan only listen with docility looking forward that this plant can employ some of our barangay inhabitants.
The land area at the western side of the highway where the building was erected was under the jurisdiction of Barangay Puerto of Cagayan de Oro City, while the eastern side of the highway was under the jurisdiction of the Province of Bukidnon.
We don’t know how the plant processed their poultry and other animal feeds, but we were told that the raw materials they used to produce their products were taken from the discarded remains in adjacent Barangay chicken dressing plants. These items were deposited in the dressing plant garbage area and left decaying for days until it is enough for one load and delivered to this processing plant. This contains unrefrigerated chicken head, feathers, feet, entrails, blood and other unused chicken body parts, and were already decomposed and infested with maggots when it is unloaded in this plant. These were cooked and on the processed, their chimney emits an offensive foul odor that pollutes our once environmental fresh and healthy breathing air.
This plant should have been located at areas away from our community as this plant building is located just at the other side of the National Highway where our Barangay is located.
We are anxious about the health of our children who were victims of this unusual stinking breathing air as they were totally deprived of fresh air. The school is located close to three hundred meters from the Processing Plant and one day when we normalize away from COVID 19, these children shall be attending classes inside their classrooms and somehow will be inhaling the uncomfortable offensive smelling air to breath with the continuous operation of this plant.
We were told that the bus and jeepney commuters has also experienced this foul offensive odor as they passed by and the smell become familiar to them, and later on they called our place, Barangay “BAHO”. We refuse to admit that we are living in a place called Barangay “BAHO”, instead of our beloved Barangay Mambatangan.
With all due to respect we are inviting you to come to our Barangay and experience the air polluted with heavy strong and offensive smell so you will know the suffering imposed to us by the people behind the activities of this plant.
For several times our Barangay Mambatangan Council Officials together with the different government agencies meets with the Plant Management Staff to discuss some ways to eliminate the foul odor, request for the relocation of closure of the plant and revocation of their Environmental Clearance Certificate. But, until now the Plant Administration Officers and the concern government agency are oblivious to our concerns and there were no action to eliminate the breathing air pollutants in our Barangay. We were told that the concern agencies have issued three cease and desist order, but that was not followed as ordered.
We are suggesting an option; of either the government shall follow the will of their agencies in allowing the undisturbed operation of this plant to pollute in our Barangay, to relocate our Barangay to some place within the province of Bukidnon far away from this plant, where we will be free from the permanent nuisance of this stinking breathing air.
With all the above statements, we appeal in your good office and agencies to include us in your community schedules on environmental concerns and please help us be liberated from this unhealthy and uncomfortable situation and rescue our community away from this stinking environmental nuisance.
Please retrieve for us, our fresh, comforting and sweet breathing air after more than five years of like being offered as the sacrifice for their productions.
Please help us.
United Concerned Citizens of Barangay Mambatangan"
We are hoping that for a minute, the people involve will have its care to humanity and to have a heart for the environment where every individual is being part of it. We are living in one world, let us be responsible creatures, let us be united and let us be humane.
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