MAGALANG, Pampanga — A number of residents of Barangays Navaling and San Roque here have filed a complaint with the Office of the Ombudsman against nine local officials and officials and owners of Chuanxing Steel Corp. over alleged harm caused by the company’s operations.
Chuanxing Steel was raided by the National Bureau of Investigation and the Presidential Anti-Organized Crime Commission last July where P3 billion worth of allegedly radioactive-bearing raw materials, substandard finished steel products, and contaminated production equipment were seized.
Named in the complaint are incumbent Mayor Maria Lourdes Lacson, former vice mayor and current municipal administrator Norman Lacson; municipal councilor June Tanglao; municipal environment and natural resources officer Elmer Mercado; municipal health officer Dr. Reno Rhine Mamac; municipal planning and development officer Rizalino Ocampo; municipal engineer Ponciano Ching; Barangay Navaling chairman Juanito Napo; and Barangay San Roque chairman June Marimla.
Mayor Lacson and several other respondents declined to comment to Punto, saying they had not yet received a copy of the complaint from the Ombudsman.
The complaint, filed on Aug. 24, alleges gross neglect of duty, grave misconduct, conduct prejudicial to the best interest of the service, and violations of RA 8749 (Clean Air Act). The residents accused the officials of failing to act on their long-standing complaints about toxic smoke, foul odors and pollution allegedly linked to Chuanxing Steel.
According to the complainants, the pollution has affected their health and contaminated the water in the area, which they said has developed an unpleasant odor and is no longer fit for use.
The residents said they had been raising concerns about the steel plant since 2023. Their fears reportedly intensified after the NBI-PAOCC raid and an investigation that allegedly uncovered radioactive materials at the site.
They said they filed the complaint to prevent Chuanxing Steel from resuming operations and to hold accountable the local officials they believe failed to stop the plant’s operations despite repeated complaints.
The complaint also covers the operations of three poultry farms — AKL Poultry Farm, Heavy W888s Growing Corp. and PFMC Inc. — located near homes in Barangays Navaling and San Roque. Residents alleged that the farms have caused additional problems, including foul odors and an increase in flies, which they said the officials also failed to address.
Mayor Lacson and other respondents said that they will give a statement once they received the official copy of the complaint from the Ombudsman.