DENR says removal of illegal beach structures lies with LGU

CEBU, Philippines — Removal of the encroaching structures along the foreshore is the job of the local officials, said the head of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR)-7.

DENR-7 Director Gilbert Gonzales said the task of the agency is to delineate the standard easement zone along the foreshore so as to determine the encroaching structures.

Then, it is up to the local government unit to implement the demolition of these illegal structures identified by the agency.

“Nasa LGU (local government unit) na iyan. Ang role ng DENR is just to delineate the easement zones so that they will know sino ang nag-encroach sa easement zones,” Gonzales told The FREEMAN.

In the first place, it is the LGU that grants building permits to these beach and resort owners allowing them to construct along the coasts, Gonzales added.

The DENR-7 is prioritizing the inventory and inspection of all beach resorts and hotels along the coasts in the islands of Panglao in Bohol and Mactan in Cebu.

These two islands are key destination sites in the region.

Curbing environmental violators in top beach resorts has been one of the main thrusts of DENR, following the controversy in Boracay Island in Aklan broke out.

Commercial businesses along the shorelines are seen to contribute to the deteriorating state of the environment especially those that fail to conform to the environmental policies and regulations.

Gonzales added that what makes the job challenging for Mactan Island is its huge coastal area that has several beaches and some are even man-made.

He said DENR personnel have yet to cover big businesses, not including small establishments.

He said the assigned team has to validate thoroughly whether the structures they identified earlier in the inventory has indeed encroached the 20-meter easement zone.

The DENR-7 has previously formed the Regional Foreshore Area Taskforce to hold simultaneous inventory and inspection of all establishments along coastal areas of the islands of Panglao and Mactan.

Gonzales said the agency is focusing in these two islands and will eventually do the same in Oslob and Moalboal, Cebu.

He, however, assured that he has received feedbacks that the LGU in these two towns in southern Cebu has initiated measures to conserve their own coasts, like conducting clean-up drives.

He said DENR’s counterpart, the City Environment and Natural Resources Office, is coordinating with the regional office. (FREEMAN)