BY GEROME DALIPE IV
ILOILO City – Mayor Jerry Treñas has reconsidered his decision to stop the ongoing construction of the P400-million seawall project spanning the shorelines of Barangays Rizal Pala-Pala and Tanza.
“After checking the documents and the risk reduction impact that the project will bring to our people in the coastal area, I am inclined to allow DPWH to finish their work at the proposed seawall,” said Treñas.
The mayor clarified the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) Region 6 needed to submit clearances from the Philippine Reclamation Authority, the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR), among other national government agencies.
“I will wait for the hearing of the city council and the result thereof. I want our people to be safe and protected by reducing their exposure to hazards as we continue to pursue our vision of a resilient, livable, and sustainable city,” said Treñas.
City Legal Office chief Edgardo Gil earlier issued the cease and desist order against the seawall project for lack of permits from the Philippine Reclamation Authority, 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 the 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 the seawall.
The City Council also conducted a hearing on the request of the DPWH-6 to utilize the materials delivered to the construction site of the seawall project.
Councilor Johnny Young, the council’s engineering, construction, and public works committee chairperson, conducted the hearing of the letter request of Engr. Sanny Boy Oropel, DPWH-6 regional director, last Thursday.
The DPWH-6 chief also asked the City Council to allow the contractor to resume civil works for 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.
The DPWH-6 insists the construction of the P400-million seawall project is a “standalone” project hence, not within the realm of the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA).
In his letter dated June 4, Oropel told Mayor Jerry Treñas the seawall project does not include reclamation works. Thus, it does not secure the requirements from the PRA.
The national government funded the project 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
