Ombuds to survey coast of Visayan Sea

An environmental compliance survey will be conducted by the Office of the Ombudsman to determine if municipalities along the coasts of the Visayan Sea are complying with environmental laws.

Assistant Ombudsman for the Visayas Virginia Palanca-Santiago said the anti-graft office will assess the compliance of the coastal municipalities in the provinces of Cebu, Masbate, Iloilo and Negros Occidental on the Solid Waste Management Act and the Fisheries Code of the Philippines.

About 22 local chief executives from the municipalities along the coasts of these four provinces were invited to attend the initial activity scheduled for tomorrow at the Office of the Ombudsman in Cebu.

Assistant Ombudsman Mark Jalandoni and the Task Force on Environmental Concerns will hold an orientation on the mechanics of the environmental compliance assessment and the liabilities of the chief executives who fail to comply with the environmental laws.

The Visayan Sea was identified as a pilot area for the project since it is as a center of marine biodiversity.

This activity aims to enhance and improve the capability of local government units in complying with the laws designed to protect and replenish their environment.  — Fred P. Languido/BRP