HUNDREDS of residents of Lapu-Lapu City's Barangay Punta Engaño are seriously frustrated with their barangay and city officials over the latter's failure to stop the pollution affecting their neighborhoods and homes. The pollution is being blamed on the dismantling of the 199-meter-long MV Diamond Highway, which was towed to Cebu from Subic a few months before the pandemic lockdown. The Panama-registered vessel was declared a total loss after it caught fire in the West Philippine Sea on June 15, 2019.
The ship was anchored in the vicinity of the town of Consolacion until December 2021, when Typhoon Odette caused it to drift and run aground at Punta Engaño. On April 28, 2023, the cutting of metal by the shipbreaking workers caused a 10-hour blaze. Last January 31, Lapu-Lapu City Mayor Ahong Chan issued a cease and desist order to Pilipinas Precious Metal Resources Inc. (PRMRI), the shipbreaking company, after residents complained about black dust, skin rashes and throat irritation.
Continue reading with one of these options:
Ad-free access
P 80 per month
(billed annually at P 960)
- Unlimited ad-free access to website articles
- Limited offer: Subscribe today and get digital edition access for free (accessible with up to 3 devices)