Communities fighting for relocation of Chevron oil depot in Pandacan, Philippines are crying foul over the US State Department's recent nomination of the oil giant for a corporate excellence award.

According to a recent news release, activist and community groups have sent a letter to Hilary Clinton urging her to rescind the nomination of Chevron for the State Department's Award for Corporate Excellence.

In 2003, GCM conducted a bucket brigade training in Pandacan, Manila, training local community members how to use air sampling buckets, constructing campaigns and educating the public and the media. A GCM study also detected high levels of benzene, a known carcinogen and component of gasoline.

The urban poor as well as teachers, students, firefighters, medical technicians and other citizens in Pandacan are demanding that the hazardous oil depot, potentially the site of the world's biggest petrochemical disaster, be relocated far away from the district which is home to 80,000 residents, schools, historical sites and the famous Pasig River.

Despite a 2007 Supreme Court order to close down and relocate the oil depot, Chevron has stalled the order.