The Victorias Milling Company, which operates a distillery plant in Barangay Purisima, Manapla, Negros Occidental, said it has invested more than P200 million to address environmental concerns.
In a statement released to the media, VMC president Minnie Chua dismissed as “baseless and unsubstantiated” the allegations of land grabbing and non-registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission, among others, raised against the plant.
Chua maintained that they have not violated any laws, contrary to claims of various groups that the distillery plant is operating illegally, among other issues.
A couple of weeks ago, Purisima residents sought the help of President Rodrigo Duterte, over the alleged air and water pollution caused by the operations of the VMC distillery plant in their community.
They claimed that the government officials and agencies that are supposed to help them are pointing to each other on who should address their complaints.
Meanwhile, VMC claims it has invested in modern structures and technological processes to eliminate odor from the plant.
Chua said the company, among others, has recently installed an Anaerobic Digester to lessen the presence of odor-causing bacteria and convert it to biogas.
“We have invested over P200 million on these improvements to ensure we are environmentally compliant and the residents can attest to this,” she said. – GB
