Loon LGU pursues development on seabed lifted by quake

LOON, BOHOL, Philippines — Mayor Peter Lloyd Lopez recently bared his administration will pursue the development of the vast seabed lifted by the magnitude-7.2 earthquake that shook Bohol on October 15, 2013.

As part of the action plan in the development of the uplifted inter-tidal zone of over 140 hectares, Lopez said the local government initiated the conduct of the Coastal Geomorphic Conservation Tourism Development Plan Validation Workshop, which he also participated in.

The workshop was conducted last October 8, with the participation of Odonilo San Juan of the Tourism Infrastructure and Economic Zone Authority, Warner Andrada and Leni Pajarillo, both of the Department of Tourism, Jaypee Orcullo of the DOT-7 and Maria Isabel Abrigania of the Phivolcs-Department of Science and Technology.

Lopez said the workshops tackled the strength, weakness, opportunities outputs and being validated and action planning and identification of key factors of the plan implementation. Presentation of the outputs was also done.

Abrigania tackled the geological risks and hazards, while TIEZA presented the Loon Uplifted Intertidal Zone Conceptual Design.

Lopez and Vice Mayor Elvi Relampagos did not hide their disappointment over the hasty issuance of Administrative Order 08, placing the entire seabed uplift under the control of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. They said they were not properly consulted for such issuance of the DENR order.

The mayor reiterated his call for the DENR to withdraw the controversial DAO 08, declaring the uplifted coastal areas in this town and neighboring Maribojoc as geological monument.

Earlier, Lopez said there were seven barangays affected by such government policy over the shifted coastal area of about 137 hectares. Some 90 hectares belong to this town and the remaining 40.3 hectares to Maribojoc town, he said.

The mayor said almost 500 fishermen, whose livelihood largely depended on fishing, were badly affected, if not displaced, as a result of the declaration of the coastal shift as a geologic monument despite repeated assertion that it was just a policy statement.

He said what the LGU wanted was “full autonomy” on managing the coastal uplifted area to provide livelihood of the constituents, and the municipal government to have “ownership right” to be able to manage the resources within its jurisdiction.

Lopez said the DENR’s DAO was somewhat an intrusion by the national government to the local autonomy.

Earlier, Mayor Leoncio Evasco of Maribojoc town shared Lopez’ stand on the uplifted seabed area, and he demanded the DENR to withdraw the controversial DAO 08. The DENR did not give due respect to the LGUs before issuing the order, he said, adding that the fishermen in his town have been deprived of livelihood, as a result. (FREEMAN)