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Pollution
Control Officers (PCOs) from various
establishments and companies across all
major industries in the Laguna de Bay Region
who have shown exemplary performance with
their duties were awarded by the Laguna Lake
Development Authority on Wednesday,
September 28, 2011 at the Hotel Rembrandt in
Quezon City.
This year’s
awarding ceremony is part of the 5th Cycle
of LLDA’s Public Disclosure Program with the
theme Goin’ Green. About 200 outstanding
PCOs were given awards in progressive levels
namely, the Gold, Silver, Green and Blue
Awards.
The Blue Award
is given if the company’s effluents are
consistently within standards for a one-year
rating period, in full compliance with all
other DENR/LLDA regulatory requirements, and
with well maintained wastewater treatment
equipment. The Green Award is given if the
recipient has been given a Blue Award in the
previous year plus if the company’s
effluents are 20% better than the applicable
standards. The Silver Award is given if the
recipient has been given a Green Award the
previous year and if the company is using
clean technology, energy and/or water
efficiency/conservation programs. The Gold
Award is given to previous Silver awardees
whose companies possess an Environmental
Monitoring System (EMS) and/or waste
reduction program and have a regular
community environmental outreach program.
PCOs from the Toshiba Information Equipment
(Phils.), Inc. bagged the only Silver Award,
which is the highest award given this year,
they are namely Sandra Chu, Mirasol Gabutero,
and Diane Jean Guinto.
Newly installed
LLDA General Manager and Presidential
Adviser for Environmental Protection,
Secretary Neric Acosta, has graced the event
with much praise for this year’s
environmental awardees. He shared his
insights on the effectiveness of
environmental governance in the country
which can only be made possible through
everyone’s action. He added that there are
now new green technologies that can aid
people in cleaning the environment such as
the floating wastewater treatment facility
which can be placed along rivers and other
bodies of water.
With the
efforts being shown by the PCOs, Secretary
Acosta says that LLDA shall continue to
enable the industries and communities in
taking their share in protecting the Laguna
Lake and its tributaries. Sec. Acosta added
that we are part of an ecology whose
components are interdependent; “whatever we
do to the environment will always come back
to us that is why it is imperative that we
do our duties now. We do not own it
(ecosystem), we owe it to the future
generation” he said. |
