DENR says mayor needs permit first, JVR: A lot has to be done to develop Mananga River

CEBU, Philippines - Talisay City Mayor Johnny De los Reyes has appealed to his critics to think first before commenting on his proposal to develop the Mananga River into a waterpark.

“Proposal ko pa na naukay na, natural naay plano,” he said during the 888 News Forum at Marco Polo Plaza yesterday.

De los Reyes recalled the time when no one believed he could develop a nature park in the mountain barangay of Gaas in Balamban, which is now a tourist attraction.

“Bisan engineer niingon nga kinsa kuno’y mo-invest diha (Gaas),” he said.

De los Reyes agreed that a lot has to be done to develop the Mananga River.

Cebu First District Representative Gerald Anthony “Samsam” Gullas earlier said that a thorough study is needed to ensure that the plan will not endanger the public.

For Talisay City Councilor Antonio Bacaltos Jr., chairman of the committee on environment and natural resources, developing Mananga River as a waterpark will do more harm than good.

It was during the State of the City Address when De los Reyes disclosed his plan to develop the river in order to boost the city’s tourism by excavating the river by four meters below sea level.

The mayor said he is thinking of making something out of the Mananga River for the city residents and tourists to enjoy.

The Mananga River is an integral part of the Central Cebu River System, which also includes Combado-Lusaran River basin, Kotkot River basin and Coastal River basin.

A significant part of Mananga River is within the territorial boundary of the City of Talisay, thus maximum protection to safeguard the ecological welfare of the river is of utmost importance to the city officials.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources yesterday laid down the prerequisites to the mayor’s dream of turning Mananga River into a water park.

Regional spokesperson Eddie Llamedo yesterday told reporters that there is a long process to undergo before realizing the vision of De los Reyes.

“Mananga is declared a public land. Under the Executive Order 192, the DENR is mandated to have full control over public land. This means, they have to get our permission before any development occurs,” Llamedo explained.

He added that among the permits to be secured from their office include an OLP (Other Lawful Use Permit), forest land agreement.

As required by Presidential Decree No. 1586, any institution who wish to develop a public land for tourism project needs to conduct a full environmental impact study covering the physical, biotic (living organisms), abiotic (anything physical or chemical that lacks life including light, temperature, and atmospheric gases) factors.

PD 1586 is otherwise known as the decree Establishing an Environmental Impact Statement System, Including Other Environmental Management Related Measures and for other Purposes.

Llamedo also expressed concerns on water availability in the planned development site.

“Mananga River is not a perennial river. Meaning, dili kanunay ang tubig ani nga river unlike Loboc, for example. So basin magkaproblema ra unya kung i-develop pero walay tubig for a certain period,” he explained, adding dredging as another concern in Mananga.

The DENR official added that in order for an institution to utilize a natural resource declared as a public land and under direct protection of their agency, a lease agreement can be signed.

“The Loboc River Cruise in Bohol is under lease agreement with DENR. In Cebu, we have the Bojo River Cruise of Aloguinsan town. The lease agreement is usually worth 25 years,” Llamedo said. — (FREEMAN)