BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) in Region 6 maintained that the P400-million seawall being constructed along the shorelines of barangays Rizal Pala-Pala and Tanza is a “standalone” project hence, not within the realm of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA).
In his letter dated June 4, Engr. DPWH-6 officer-in-charge Sanny Boy Oropel told Mayor Jerry Treñas the seawall project does not include reclamation works. Thus, it does not have to secure approval from the PRA.
“To emphasize, the project does not involve the conversion of foreshore land, submerged areas, or bodies of water into permanent land,” said Oropel.
City Legal Office chief Edgardo Gil earlier issued the cease and desist order against the seawall project for lack of permits from the PRA, Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and for disregarding the provisions of the Local Government Code.
In the order, Gil said DPWH-6 did not conduct a public consultation with any of the concerned barangays before the project construction.
“At any rate, the Local Chief Executive has the power and authority under the Local Government Code to interpose its objection to the ongoing activities within its territorial jurisdiction any project or program that may cause pollution, climatic change, depletion of non-renewable resources, loss of cropland, rangeland, or forest cover,” the order read.
The cease and desist order came after the City Council asked DPWH-6 to stop the ongoing construction of a P400-million seawall project spanning the shorelines of Barangays Rizal Pala-Pala and Tanza Bonifacio.
Councilor Johnny Young, the council’s engineering, construction, and public works committee chairperson, requested Oropel to stop all construction activities for lack of permits from the PRA, the DENR, the EMB, and the City Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO).
“Considering that the scope of the project involves the filing of rock 30 meters wide on portions of the bodies of water, it is recommended that an official query to the PRA should be forwarded to clarify whether or not the project is classified as reclamation or conversion into landfill and a subsequent clearance should be secured, if deemed necessary,” read Young’s letter dated May 15.
In his letter, Oropel said they already requested Remia Aparri, BFAR-6 regional director, to issue a certificate of no objection to the project.
The DPWH-6 chief also asked the City Council to allow the contractor to resume civil works for at least 10 days to utilize the materials already delivered to the site “to prevent any further damage to the structure already built.”
“Said structures are highly susceptible to damage brought about by the existing environmental factors and will no longer be usable if not insulated or supported immediately,” said Oropel.
Councilor Young, the council’s engineering, construction, and public works committee chairperson, said he will conduct a hearing on the request of Oropel.
He said the committee needs to secure a legal opinion on the matter since the latter was the one that issued the cease and desist order on the project.
The project worth P400 million was funded by the national government through the General Appropriation Act for 2023. The contractor started constructing the project on Aug. 23, 2023, and is now 37.93 percent complete.
The project aims to protect the inland area from the effects of wave action and prevent coastal erosion, mitigating the loss of human lives and destruction of property during typhoons./PN
