MANILA, Philippines -- The Senate will investigate the alleged invasion by the South Korean shipbuilder Hanjin Heavy Industries & Construction Ltd. of the Subic rainforest. This, after Senators Loren Legarda and Miguel Zubiri on Sunday separately said they would introduce Senate resolutions enabling the inquiry.

"We will definitely look into the allegation," Legarda said, referring to Hanjin?s reported construction of two high-rise condominium building projects inside the forest reserve that formed part of what used to be the Subic Naval Base.

"This is a very grave allegation that we cannot just sweep under the rug," she said in a press statement.

Zubiri, for his part, called the destruction of the lush rainforest for the condominiums ?a dastardly act in this time of water crisis.?

?The clearing of trees that?s now a bald spot in the middle of lush forest released tons of carbon into the atmosphere that will speed up global warming. In case they have forgotten, the former Subic military base is part of the country?s patrimony, not a fiefdom of managers. They are the ones that should discern the proper use and stop the abuse of Subic?s resources,? he said in a press statement.

The senator explained that Olongapo City?s old water source -- the Sta. Rita River -- has been destroyed and contaminated by this same type of activities that ?started with wanton cutting of trees to make way for various constructions. Later on, untreated sewage flows and leaching from garbage dumps poisoned the river.?

He also reminded responsible Hanjin officers that the company is still to be investigated on alleged labor violations and neglect of occupational safety measures in its $1.65 billion shipbuilding and port operations.

Zubiri said zoning issues also plague the $20-million Hanjin condominiums in Subic. He also echoed the call of Senator Richard Gordon for the dismissal of officials of Subic Bay Management Authority and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources who allowed the project to push through.

Zubiri, chairman of the Senate Committee on Urban Planning, Housing and Resettlement, said he would investigate complaints ?on Hanjin?s discriminatory housing policy against Filipinos including tribal communities and which Hanjin relocated to Barrios (villages) Agusuhin and Nagyantoc in inferior structures and danger zones.?

The law requires Hanjin to resettle families displaced by their operations in the ecozone. Reports of substandard houses and schoolbuildings for the displaced families were also taken up by a non-government organization Task Force Hanjin.

Zubiri also said Gordon?s revelation that the Hanjin condos site was a former ammunitions and explosives testing area should also be investigated.

According to Legarda, Malacañang issued Executive Order 701 on January 22, 2008, directing all heads of departments, bureaus, offices, agencies of the government to support the investments projects of Hanjin.

Hanjin is investing about $3.6 billion (about P150 billion) to put up two shipbuilding and repair facilities, one at the Subic Bay Freeport Zone for $1.6 billion and the other at the Phividec Industrial Estate at a cost of $2 billion, according to EO 701.

The two projects are expected to generate a total of 50,000 new jobs, according to the presidential directive.