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BY IME SORNITO
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Tuesday, March 6, 2018
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ILOILO City – “I think may ma-file talaga na charges.”
Charges would certainly be filed against local government officials liable for the environmental problems in Boracay Island, according to Director Anthony Nuyda of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 6.
The identities of these officials would be known in 60 days, according to Nuyda, a member of the Boracay Investigating Team (BIT) that DILG officer-in-charge Eduardo Año formed as an exercise of the department’s supervisory power over local government units (LGUs).
President Rodrigo Duterte blamed “local government units” for Boracay’s pollution problems and threatened to charge them with gross negligence but gave no specifics.
Boracay Island is under the jurisdiction of Malay, Aklan and concomitantly, the provincial government of Aklan.
“We can’t say for now what charges would be filed. The investigation is ongoing. We are gathering documents. But definitely there is some neglect of duty,” said Nuyda yesterday.
The President’s order was clear, he added – identify the culpable officials.
While Año himself gave no specifics as to who are being investigated, he said the BIT probe would include government officials and employees “directly involved” in issuing permits to Boracay establishments.
The investigation started last week.
“Ang mandate is within 60 days, I think, may ma-file talaga na charges,” said Nuyda.
The other members of DILG’s BIT are the following:
* Bureau of Local Government Supervision (BLGS) director Odilon Pasaraba
* Legal and Legislative Liaison Service (LLLS) director Romeo Benitez
* Trial and Investigation Division officer-in-charge Maria Elena Quebral
* BLGS Policy Compliance and Monitoring Division chief Maria Rhodora Flores
* Frederick Lubuguin of the LLLS
* Benjamin Zabala of the Internal Affairs Service
* Engineer Richard Cruz of the Office of Project Development Services
* representatives of the Bureau of Fire Protection and Police Regional Office 6.
“Their investigation shall cover a period of 10 years, reckoning from the year 2008 up to 2018. I expect them to submit a comprehensive report on the result of their probe as soon as possible,” said Año.
BIT will also be investigating private individuals.
The move is in line with President Duterte’s instruction to the DILG and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to fix Boracay’s environmental woes in six months.
DILG assistant secretary for Plans and Programs Epimaco Densing III is the BIT chairperson while DILG Senior Executive Assistant Jerry Loresco of the Office of the Undersecretary for Peace and Order, Public Safety, and Policy and Programs is the vice chairperson.
The team will also look into the use of the environmental fee collected by the local government of Malay.
The environmental fee is P75. It is collected from all tourists entering Boracay./PN
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