Bantayan construction ban lifted: ‘Big win’ for Yolanda survivors

CEBU, Philippines - The lifting of the injunction against any construction and projects in the entire Bantayan Island, which was considered as a wilderness area, is a 'big win' for survivors of super typhoon Yolanda.

This was after Regional Trial Court Branch 28, one of the designated environmental courts in Cebu, through RTC Judge Mercedita Dadole-Ygnacio, issued an order last Tuesday approving the General Management Plan of the Bantayan Island Wilderness Area (GMP-BIWA).

"In effect, the order allows all constructions and projects, including the Yolanda housing projects in Bantayan Island," said Michael Lloyd Dino, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, in a statement.

Bantayan Island is composed of the municipalities of Sta. Fe, Bantayan, and Madridejos.

Dino, whom President Rodrigo Duterte tasked to relocate the Yolanda survivors to resettlement areas, thanked Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Gina Lopez and DENR-7 officials for their swift action on his request to fast-track the GMP.

Dino said that it's the GMP that became the stumbling block of any Yolanda-related constructions in the island.

After DENR's submission of the GMP, the court did its part by allowing now the acceptance, processing, and approval of Environmental Compliance Certificates or Certificates of non-coverage by the DENR.

"Constructions are now permitted under certain conditions," Dino said.

To recall, RTC Branch 28 issued a permanent protection order and continuing mandamus last September 30, 2013, preventing DENR from accepting, processing, and approving applications of ECCs and CNCs upon all constructions and projects in Bantayan Island, "until a GMP shall be approved by the DENR Secretary and until full compliance with R.A. 7586 shall be carried out by the defendant DENR."

The non-submission of the GMP to the court was discovered during Dino's site inspection at the NHA Unity Village Permanent Housing Project in Barangay Kabac, Bantayan on November 20.

Site engineer Ma. Larie Bello told Dino during the visit that one big problem of the housing project was the lack of ECC due to the injunction issued by the court prohibiting DENR from approving their application because of the lack of GMP.

Dino said he contacted right away DENR-7 after the site visit to ask what took it so long to submit the GMP to the court.

"In fact, EMB-7 Director William Cuñado promised our office that he will make the ECC for the Yolanda housing in Bantayan ready, in case the court will lift the injunction. Now that the court acted on our request, there's no more reason not to issue the ECC for the project," Dino said.

Last Monday, OPAV transferred 356 families to their new homes in Tacloban just 18 days after President Duterte's directive to transfer the Yolanda survivors before Christmas.

He said that in Barangay Kabac, Bantayan town, the P373.4-million NHA housing site for Yolanda survivors has a total of 1,290 housing units.

"In Bantayan Island, the Duterte administration did it in just 10 days after we discovered the injunction due to lack of a general management plan," Dino said.

Last Tuesday, Dino showed up at the RTC Branch 28 in Mandaue City after DENR-7 submitted the GMP.

For his part, Bantayan Mayor Art Despi said he was thankful that the GMP has been made and approved.

"Nagpasalamat gyud ko kay Secretary Dino kay iya gyud gitrabaho," he said in the same statement, adding that Bantayan Island's development has been stunted because of the absence of the GMP.

Sta. Fe Mayor Jose Esgana also said that 2,300 housing units that NHA was supposed to build for the Yolanda-affected families in his town have yet to be constructed because of the absence of the approved GMP-BIWA.

He said it is his prayer that the GMP-BIWA of the whole Bantayan Island would be approved.

He and Despi were thankful to Dino for taking quick action, saying the approved GMP is long overdue.

With the court's approval of the GMP, Cuñado said he would send a communication to ECC applicants for Yolanda housing projects informing them that they can be given the certificate already.

He, however, said he still had to read the GMP to know the restrictions on developments in the island.

He assured Dino that EMB can facilitate the release of ECCs to applicants within one day, provided the applicant has submitted the complete documents. (FREEMAN)