W2W PROJECT DELAY

FOR failing to act on the request of Sure Global W2W PTE Ltd for a letter of support in connection with the latter’s 15 million U.S. dollars waste to energy facility, Mayor Marc Brian is facing an investigation before the Anti-Red Tape Authority (ARTA).

This was gleaned from the First Endorsement addressed to Mayor Lim dated 04 February 2020 signed by Atty. Marco Angelo E. Balleser, ARTA executive assistant V, requesting the mayor to reply within 24 hours after receipt of the letter.

The complaint filed against him by Sure Global represented by Julia Courts Boughton, stemmed from Lim’s failure to reply to the request of Sure Global for a statement of support to its W2W project, that will convert plastic wastes into diesel fuel and food wastes into compressed air or methane gas.

Section 4 (c) of Republic Act No. 11302 or the Anti-Red Tape Act of 2018 states “Any denial of application or request for access to government service shall be fully explained in writing, stating the name of the person making the denial and the grounds upon which such a denial is based. Any denial of application or request is deemed to have been made with the permission or clearance from the highest authority having jurisdiction over the government office or agency concerned.”

Under the said act, the request of Sure Global for a letter of support can be considered as a “highly technical application or an application, which requires the use of technical knowledge, specialized skills and/or training in the processing and evaluation thereof and the prescribed processing time for this” shall in no case longer than 20 working days.

The W2W joint project agreement was signed in 2017 by then Mayor Belen Fernandez and Boughton, as president and chief executive officer of Sure Global.

The project had its groundbreaking on June 18, 2018 in Barangay Bonuan Binloc.

But when Lim took over the reins of the city government in July 2019, he refused to implement the joint venture agreement because he said the facility is incapable of solving the present garbage problem of the city and suggested that he negotiates with another company to do the project.

Boughton came to Dagupan in November last year along with Commissioner Crispian Lao of the National Solid Waste Management Commission and informed the Sangguniang Panlungsod that the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) for the project was already issued in October by the Environmental Management Bureau and the machine for the Dagupan project was already assembled in South Korea awaiting shipment to the Philippines.

On the same day, Boughton met with Mayor Lim to submit her request for a statement of support, attaching therein all the pertinent documents for the project. She was reportedly told that the project will be reevaluated.

More than three months had passed but Sure Global has not received any reply prompting Sure Global to lodge a complaint against Lim before ARTA.

Section 22 imposes administrative liability with six months suspension for the first offense and administrative liability and criminal liability of dismissal from the service and forfeiture of retirement benefits as well as imprisonment from one to six years, plus a fine of not less than P500,000 for the second offense.

Dagupan was the third local government after Angeles City and Cabuyao, Laguna to explore a partnership with W2W. (Leonardo Micua)  

 

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