Work on road halted for lack of permit

LOBOC, Bohol, Philippines – The Bohol Environment Management Office (BEMO) has stopped the construction of an access road in the town for lack of permit.

The construction is being undertaken at the Tontojan junction along the national highway in the interior part of the town. It is said to be initiated by the municipal government.

The road is reportedly intended to give access to the area where the proposed Loboc Municipal College (LMC) will be built. The school will be managed by the municipal government.

Last Thursday, workers still continued to load earth materials unto cargo trucks, defying the BEMO order that was issued the day before.

BEMO did not take the violation sitting down and issued a citation for a fine of P3,000, said BEMO chief Leonilo Lafuente in an interview.

Under a Provincial Ordinance, any form and size of extraction or digging of earth materials must be supported by a permit exclusively issued by the provincial governor based on the Local Government Code of 1991.

In an interview, the workers said they were just following orders of the town officials led by Mayor Leon Calipusan.

In a separate interview, Calipusan said he did not receive any order to stop the construction. During the ocular inspection conducted by BEMO, an unidentified project engineer reportedly “gave assurance” to tell the mayor about the stoppage order. 

Lafuente questioned how the project could be undertaken without complying with the prerequisites as mandated by law. Nestor Canda of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) agreed with Lafuente’s observation.

Both Lafuente and Canda saw the road construction themselves during separate random ocular checks.

Calipusan hinted that there is no need to submit the supporting documents to BEMO because he has already submitted the documents to DENR Bohol, including requisites for the issuance of the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC).

He said that the municipal government has endorsed the project, which is being supported financially by benefactors.