Pepsi decries NWRB closure of Muntinlupa plant’s deep wells

Pepsi-Cola Products Philippine Inc.’s (PCPPI) regrets the move of the National Water Resources Board (NWRB) to seal off its deep wells located in the company’s Muntinlupa plant.

In a statement, PCPPI said the company has been doing business with due observance of environmental laws and rules.

“The action taken by the NWRB has led to the temporary suspension of certain parts of the operations at the Muntinlupa plant for the past several days,” PCPPI said.

As an interim measure, the company said it has activated interim arrangements with its 12 other production plants in the Philippines to ensure that consumers continue to enjoy their products.

“We are also providing financial assistance to our contractual personnel pending the re-assumption of the affected operations at the Muntinlupa plant. The number of personnel affected is significantly lower than the number speculated in the media. We aim to protect the livelihood and the welfare of our workers and contractors of the said plant who had made significant contributions to our operations over the years,” it said.

Moving forward, PCPPI said it is in discussion with the authorities to resolve this issue.

“We want to assure all our stakeholders that we are making every effort to resolve this issue quickly,” PCPPI said.

The company further assured that it is committed to the welfare of the communities in which it operates.

Authorities earlier shut down six of the company’s deep well pumps due to alleged ill effects to the environment.

Enforcement agencies implemented a five year-old Supreme Court order that effectively shuttered the pumps, which allegedly damaged the environment. An appeal from Pepsi prevented the enforcement of the ruling.

Meanwhile, NWRB has imposed a fine of P11.8 million against PCPPI for the operations of six deep wells in its plant in Muntinlupa City allegedly without the necessary permit from the agency.

In its order dated April 19, the NWRB, an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), imposed a penalty amounting to P11.58 million against PCPPI.

The penalty, however, was increased to P11.8 million after the NWRB, in a raid conducted with the Philippine National Police (PNP) and a task force from the DENR, discovered that PCPPI was still operating the six deep wells which were earlier ordered closed by the Supreme Court.

Archie Asuncion, head of NWRB’s litigation and adjudication unit, said the penalty imposed on PCPPI was set at P1,000 per day per deep well, reckoned from Jan. 10, 2013 up to June 11, 2018.

It was on April 17, 2017 when the SC affirmed its earlier ruling declaring the operations of the PCPPI’s deep wells as illegal due to its supposed ill effects to the environment.

The NWRB said the raid and sealing of PCPPI deep wells was ordered by Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu.

Citing an NWRB-commissioned study in 2004, DENR Undersecretary for solid waste management and local government units concerns Benny Antiporda said the groundwater in Muntinlupa City is already “critical,” and the PCPPI’s extraction has been causing land subsidence.