A cry of blessing and denunciation at the start of Holy Week
- The San Juan Daily Star
- Apr 15
- 3 min read
By Félix Tomás Miguel Aponte
Special to The Star
“To the OilTec business owners, from this company that is poisoning us, I want to warn you that we will continue praying, blessing, and, above all, denouncing the aggression against Puerto Rican land and the land of Mother Castro I,” were some of the statements made by parish priest Father Pedro Rafael Ortiz of the Community of Bases Without Borders at the San Pablo Apóstol Parish in Caguas during a recent homily-demonstration against the OilTec plant in the city.
Joining the rally, held near the company’s headquarters on Highway 183, Km 4.9, were residents of the Tomás de Castro I community, civic groups, and the Casa de Oración Kadosh, Fuente de Salvación Misionera, and Emmanuel churches.
The company has been the target of complaints over the past year of environmental pollution from its oil recycling operations. The groups that gathered Saturday to denounce the company’s poor waste management, which allegedly harms water resources, land, and the general population where it operates.
Ortiz noted that the demonstration at the facility sought to “continue promoting a Lenten style of conversion, raising awareness of blessing and asking for forgiveness for the mistreatment we give to nature.”
Several residents say a strong odor similar to the gases emanating from garbage fouls the air near the plant. They also claim that water is discharged from containers that filter liquids and reaches urban wastewater collection systems or percolate into nearby rivers such as the Turabo River and the Río Grande de Loíza.
Pastor Ortiz, quoting the words and testimony of Pope Francis, said the peaceful gathering was part of the “gradual emergence of a great mobilization of people, who from the grassroots and the peripheries are working generously for the protection of the earth and the poor.”
In his speech, the religious leader acknowledged the environmental struggles of other groups on the island, such as those in Cabo Rojo.
“Brothers from other places in the western region who are fighting against the Esencia project will arrive and tell us about their struggles,” he said. “So that they may encourage us in the process, so that they may encourage our lives. They will come from other latitudes to speak to us and bear witness to us.”
“We rebuild on the basis of forgiveness,” he added. “And we are here because we are forgiving. Because we forgive, because we love, but we will not stop fighting. We forgive and love without ceasing to fight.”
Meanwhile, Caguas Mayor William Miranda Torres expressed his “full support” for the gathering and “solidarity with the residents of the Tomás de Castro neighborhood who have peacefully demonstrated in defense of their health, their environment, and their quality of life.”
“In Caguas, we firmly believe in community self-management and the power of organized citizens,” he said in a statement. “Our administration has been, is, and will always be on the side of the communities, not the companies that insist on disregarding the environment and the safety of our people.”
The mayor added that the city council has been proactive in taking the case to court, and referring the situation to state and federal agencies.
“We have documented every step responsibly. We have spared no resources or commitment,” he said. “But we know that beyond the legal framework, there is a reality that is felt every day: that of a community that has felt violated and is today raising its voice with dignity. That voice deserves to be heard.”
Both the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency have intervened at Oiltec’s facilities since last year.
Miranda Torres reiterated that truly sustainable economic development is “one that respects the environment, that puts the life and well-being of our communities above any corporate interests.”
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