Inaction of DENR has caused the rape of our environment

I received several calls and emails last week on the environmental problems happening in Zambales under the watchful eyes of the DENR Regional Director Francisco Milla. I personally do not know the DENR chief in the area but with the number of letters I’ve been receiving from the folk over there, it looks like he has a lot of explaining to do.

First of all, there seems to be so many quarrying activities in the different towns of Zambales that have no ECC permit. Second, quarrying/ dredging activities have been happening over there in the past years and yet, the DENR did nothing to protect the environment. Third, the folk say that the DENR Regional Director is allegedly the protector of the quarrying/ dredging groups over there. How true is this allegation Director Milla?

Quarrying can be healthy for an environment. It is the extraction of stones, rocks, sand, gravel and other minerals from the ground. All these materials can be used in construction. It is the same as open-pit mining. If too much quarrying is done in an area, environmental damage may happen. When Mt. Pinatubo erupted we had an over-supply of lahar sand that allowed quarrying in the area. This was good for the community. But now, mountains are being destroyed because of reckless and irresponsible quarrying – mining activities. Obviously, the DENR in the area seems too lax in their control of legal and illegal activities.

Aside from quarrying there is also a lot of dredging projects in Zambales. Dredging is another form of excavation but this time in shallow freshwaters, rivers and seas. It is used to clear or open pathways due to sedimentary build-up that can cause flooding. Dredging can also be done to replace sand in eroded portions of beaches or shorelines. Is it true that in Zambales, dredging has been allowed in large scale projects that have eroded beaches to sell sand to China or Singapore? Susmariosep!

I have already written about a major dredging activity happening in San Antonio, Zambales some weeks ago where the mayor didn’t even get official permits from the DENR but yet was allowed to continue the project. DENR Director Milla even visited the area and gave the mayor a thumbs up on the project. But after a week he stopped their operations. I guess due to pressure of the media and the town folk. Now, in San Felipe, Zambales another major dredging project is causing sleepless nights for the local folk. The mayor seems to be hard-nosed in allowing the project to continue.

I have also received letters from the community of San Felipe telling me that for many years there have been dredging activities but no DENR official has visited the area at all. How true is this? And why is the mayor not listening to her constituents? The people there are even scared to come out because according to them, the officials in the area act like gangsters. This is truly difficult to believe but clearly the local government officials must know when a call of duty is in order. Mayor Carolyn Fariñas, now is the time for you to show the nation that you are sincerely concerned for the welfare of your community and the environment.

The name of the contracting party is ECO-LINK and they are allegedly getting sand for Singapore. ECO-LINK was issued a permit by then Governor Ebdane in 2015. The present Governor Deloso cancelled the permit but this has not stopped ECO-LINK from their quarrying/ dredging activities. My alikabok tells me ECO-LINK does not even have the necessary clearances and permits like DPWH clearance to use the shoreline, the Quarry Permit from the Governor’s office, Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Clearance, Fore-shore Lease Agreement or Miscellaneous Lease Agreement from CENRO, and ISAG (industrial sand and gravel) permit from DENR MGB. They only have one ECC that allows them to extract 50,000 cubic meters of sand. But it seems that they have already shipped out five vessels each carrying 35,000 cubic meters of sand. Now, how true are all these Mayor Fariñas and DENR Director Milla?

Some trees have already fallen in the beach area because of the dredging activity which apparently stopped during the holy week break because there are many visitors in the area to witness the project which the LGU and the DENR seems to be trying to conceal. In fact, barge ships, cranes and dump trucks were seen in the seashore of Linasin, San Felipe. According to some community members, the LGU told them that they will dredge Sukit River but the town folk have witnessed dredging activities in Linasin beachfront (not even in the river area). They are worried that Linasen Lake will one day vanish into thin air. Sanamagan!

Now, while the President can afford to close Boracay for a year or so (although I think he has already compromised to 4-6 months) due to the man-made structures irregularly constructed in the beach area not to mention their sewage problems, why can’t he look into the other regions of the country where a severe rape to the environment is happening under the watchful eyes of his people particularly the LGUs and the DENR people? Abangan!

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Is Boracay all set to close down on April 26? Does the government have the right plan of action for this rehabilitation period? Let’s not dilly dally, time is of essence especially to the most popular beach in the world. Ricardo Ramos, the former Chairman of Task Force Boracay (circa1988) recommended three things that should be done during the six-month rehabilitation of Boracay: First, no to new improvements. This means, no building construction of any type. The Presidential Spokesman has affirmed this last week. Second, all illegal structures must be demolished. These include business establishments from hotels and restaurants to shops, stores, malls. Illegal settlers or squatters occupying government or state-owned land must be relocated to the mainland in Caticlan. Third, a policy decision and vision of the President on what Boracay Island should be. This pertains to the fact that Boracay is a State Property (except for the land titles issued to the heirs of the late Ciriaco Tirol in 1931). Call it “ Boracay 2020!” The policy must include the decision on big developments like the casino complex of MegaWorld in Savoy Hotel, Galaxy Entertainment and 1,000 room hotel of Hotel 101 by Double Dragon Properties.

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Happy Easter everyone! Let us all look forward to new beginnings and have faith that one day the light of Christ will illumine the hearts and the minds of our leaders and our people.