SAN SIMON, Pampanga — The Provincial Government of Pampanga has acted upon the black smoke and pungent odor being complained by residents in the nearby town of Minalin.

Barangay captains of Minalin have lodged a complaint to the Provincial Government after a factory of carbon in San Simon allegedly started burning rubber tires.

Governor Dennis “Delta” Pineda and Vice Governor Lilia “Nanay” Pineda called a technical meeting with the Provincial Board led by Ananias Canlas Jr., Atty. Claire Lim, and Provincial Government-Environment and Natural Resources Office Officer Engr. Arthur on Monday.

During the meeting, it was known that a closure order dated 17 January 2024 was given to the factory due to lack of Environmental Compliance Certificate by the inspecting team.

According to Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the DENR, they gave a 14-day clearance to the factory to operate on 5 December 2024 to conduct preventive maintenance on its machineries.

But the factory has continued to operate despite the lapsed 14-day clearance given by the DENR’s EMB.

The local government of San Simon has padlocked the reactors of the machineries inside the factory while criminal charges are being prepared by the Provincial Government next time the factory makes a violation.

A Regulatory Compliance Unit was established to monitor other establishments that can create potential threat to the ecosystem as well as the health of the Kapampangans.