ILOILO City – The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) in Region 6 has recommended the lifting of the moratorium on the issuance of Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC), discharge permit, permit to operate and other environmental permits to existing structures in Boracay Island.
EMB is an attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
According to Atty. Ramar Niel Pascua, chief of EMB-6’s legal division, the early lifting of the moratorium is in preparation for the reopening of Boracay on Oct. 26.
The moratorium took effect in February this year after President Rodrigo Duterte criticized Boracay for being a “cesspool” and took to task local officials for failing to protect the world-famous island resort from environmental degradation.
On April 26, the government closed Boracay for six months of rehabilitation.
Pascua assured the public there would be a revalidation of applications for ECC and other environmental permits.
“We may even conduct site visits,” he said.
Pascua, however, clarified the moratorium would remain for new, ongoing and proposed projects in Boracay.
EMB-6 has so far issued 478 Boracay establishments with notices of violation. Of these, 157 cases were now with the Pollution Adjudication Board (PAB) for the computation of fines.
One common violation was the lack of sewerage treatment plant.
Pascua disclosed that Environment secretary Roy Cimatu issued Memorandum Circular No. 2018-06 requiring resorts/hotels having a minimum of 50 rooms to have a sewerage treatment plant while those having less than 50 rooms to utilize clustered sewerage treatment plants.
Pascua said the memorandum was mandatory to hotels/resorts on Boracay’s beachfront.
Meanwhile, Department of Local and Interior Government (DILG) officer-in-charge Eduardo Año assured the public that the government will not allow construction of a casino in Boracay Island.
“First of all, the President (Rodrigo Duterte) had already decided and announced that no construction of casino Boracay will be allowed,” Año said in an open forum of the second pre-State-of-the-Nation Address (SONA) 2018 Forum at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City on June 11.
Año said even the Cabinet secretaries, particularly Boracay Rehabilitation Inter-Agency Task Force chief and Environment secretary Cimatu, oppose construction of casino in the popular tourist destination.
“People go to Boracay to swim, not to gamble. So there will be no casino there,” Año said, drawing applause from the audience.
Recently, Macau-based Galaxy Entertainment Group and its Filipino partner, AB Leisure Exponent Inc., revealed a plan to build $500-million integrated resort-casino complex on a 23-hectare property in Barangay Manoc-Manoc, Boracay Island.
Duterte repeatedly expressed his stand against any casino in Boracay, saying it would not benefit the Filipinos. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
