NBI arrests 3 persons ‘for storing hazardous substances without gov’t permit’

Three persons have been arrested for allegedly maintaining a facility that stores hazardous substances in Calamba City in Laguna without the required government permits.

In a statement issued on Wednesday, May 10, the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) identified those arrested las Mariano H. Villanueva Jr., Nomer E. Aquino, and Manny M. Ferrer of Cam Connectivity (Phils.), Inc.

They were arrested in an operation conducted by the NBI's Environmental Crime Division (NBI-EnCD) last May 4 and thereafter charged with violations of Section 13(a) of Republic Act No. 6969, the Toxic Substances and Hazardous and Nuclear Wastes Control Act of 1990.

The NBI said it acted on an information that Cam Connectivity has been "engaged in the use and storage of hazardous substances without the proper permits or clearances from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)."

"Further, the hazardous waste generated from their daily operation was not properly managed in accordance with DENR rules and regulations," it added.

Based on Cam Connectivity's website, the firm is engaged, among other operations, in aluminum die casting, zinc die casting, shotblasting, mirror barreling, precision machining, electro-deposition coating, and plating.

The NBI said that it received a certification from the DENR's Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) which showed that Cam Connectivity is not included in the updated list of registered firms that have been issued Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), Certificate of Non-Coverage (CNC), Permit to Operate (PTO), Hazardous Waste Registration, or any other documents concerning its business operation.