LLDA eyes shutdown of 5 more firms

The Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) is investigating five firms for operating without necessary permits and violating environmental laws.

LLDA general manager Jaime Medina said the five firms may be shut down after the agency suspended the operations of two other firms last month.

The two firms “were found dumping waste materials at the shore-land area and reclaiming portions of the Laguna Lake. A clear violation of envi- ronmental laws,” he said last week.

Engineer Jocelyn Sta. Ana, LLDA’s laboratory office division chief, said that the illegal reclamation caused Laguna Lake’s water to be contaminated.

The lake’s water quality has exceeded the Class C category set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. This means that the water is no longer allowed for aquaculture and agriculture, Sta. Ana said.