ANGELES FOLK FEAR MERCURY IN WATER
By Peter Alagos and Eric Jimenez
Philippine Daily Inquirer, December 6, 1998, page 14

ANGELES CITY -- If you hesitate to drink that crystal clear water from the old reliable tap, then you have all reason to feel that way.

The Balibago Water District here has yet to allay fears of residents following reports of mercury contamination in BWD's pump No. 6 in Barangay Lakandula in Mabalacat town.

Earlier, the Buklod Club, a nongovernment organization based in Lakandula, said water from pump No. 6 was found to have high levels of mercury after it had water samples tested by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources' Environment Management Bureau.

The report, which was confirmed by Nenita Tinoko, EMB laboratory section cheif, and Ella Deocadiz, research and development division chief, said water samples from pump No. 6 contained heavy metals like mercury and lead.

Pump No. 6 supplies water to residents in Lakandula in nearby Mabalacat town.

Based on the EMB report, residents have been drinking contaminated water containing .500 micrograms/ml of mercury and .050 mg/L of lead.

Ronald Baron, BWD general manager, said the Philippine Institute of Pure and Applied Chemistry (PIPAC) said water from the pump station is free from lead and mercury.

"We continue to stand behind the report of Pipac that the water from our pump in Lakandula has virtually no detection of mercury," Baron said.

He claimed the EMB reprt that the "Sept. 28 report of Pipac shows there is only 0.001 mg/L of mercury in samples taken in Lakandula."

But the People's Task Force on Bases Cleanup (PTFBC) said Pipac did not have the capability to detect mercury above .500 mg/L. The PTFBC said the maximum drinking water standards for mercury in the United States was .002 mg/L.

The Ateneo-based testing firm could not detect whether there is mercury contamination below .050 mg/L, the group added.

Baron debunked PTFBC statement, claiming that Pipac has the capability to determine mercury levels below .5 mg/L.

"Therefore, the integrity of the Pipac report remains acceptable to us and that the quality of our water in pump No. 6 is definitely within the US standards and is, by and large, safe to drink," he said.

In Pampanga, Antonio Gonzales, chair of Mimosa Leisure and Resort Corp., urged Clark Development Corp. and officials of Angeles City and Mabalacat to tap an independent body to study the water contamination in these areas to protect the tourism industry.

"The issue (contamination of water supply in the province and in Clark) affects the tourism business," he said.

CDC Chair Rufo Colayco said CDC had been negotiating with an environmental group in the United States to conduct a study on toxic wastes at the economic zone. The study will be funded by the US government, he added.