Bulacan gov to sign Environment Code

MALOLOS CITY, Philippines  – Bulacan Gov. Wilhelmino Alvarado is set to sign the province’s first Environmental Code on Monday, a day after the celebration of World Environment Day.

Lawyer Rustico de Belen, head of the provincial environment and natural resour-ces office, told The STAR yesterday that the signing of the code into law would highlight the observance of Environment Month in the province.

“This is our gift and contribution to the world,” De Belen said, adding that the protection of the environment is not just a local effort but also a global concern, especially now with the problem of climate change.

The 2011 Bulacan Environment Code encompasses all national legislation on the protection and conservation of the environment.

It includes provisions on solid waste management, clean air, management of toxic waste, forestry, coastal resource management, establishment of sanitary landfill, and even mining regulations.

For De Belen, the most notable provisions in the code are the ones on coastal resource management and mining, saying for a long time, the provincial government does not have an office that focuses on coastal resource management.

“The Department of Environment and Natural Resources has a division on coastal resource management, but we need our own men who will look into it,” he said.

On sanitary landfills and mining, the code requires location clearance from the governor’s office.

“There is no law that regulates the establishment of sanitary landfills in Bulacan and the province usually ends up legitimizing landfills (that are) constructed,” De Belen said.

On mining, he said the code requires free prior informed concerned (FPIC), and provincial environment compliance certificate, especially for small mining firms.

In the past, he said small mining firms merely secured permits from barangay heads.