Moalboal reclamation baffles Argao official

CEBU, Philippines - While it is illegal to reclaim a mangrove plantation in Argao, it appears that it is okay in Moalboal town.

This is what baffles Argao tourism officer Vip Fortich Semilla, who wrote a letter dated July 25, 2014, to Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer Flordeliza Geyrozaga.

"In Barangay Tomonoy, Moalboal, under your jurisdiction, a 5,000-square meter lot vegetated with full grown mangroves is reclaimed and developed into a mall. I wonder if the ongoing development in Tomonoy have reached your office, and if it did not, can you please act on it immediately!" read Semilla's three-page letter to Geyrozaga.

Semilla said that while Department of Environment and Natural Resources-7 director Isabelo Montejo had turned down the application for a reclamation project of a mangrove area in Argao, Geyrozaga had turned deaf ears on the 5,000-square-meter reclamation in Moalboal. Geyrozaga's jurisdiction as CENRO chief includes Moalboal, Argao.

"I have seen a live mangrove tree of not less than 10 feet tall inside the construction site. Moreover, just outside the perimeter fence to the left side of the newly reclaimed property is the waterway with several full-grown mangroves," Semilla said.

Section 71 of RA 7161, cutting of mangrove trees is strictly prohibited. This section cites the beneficial uses of mangroves to the environment and the food chain.

In his letter, Semilla attached photos inside the reclaimed property which include an ongoing construction of what he believed to be a shopping mall.

"I am very confused why in Barangay Binlod, Argao, a government project was automatically denied by Montejo while in fact, the LGU-Argao is still on the process of securing the Environmental Compliance Certificate...," the letter reads.

"My question now whether the law has been interpreted and applied fairly? Or maybe, in the case of the development of Tomonoy, somebody is above the law?" Semilla asked.—  (FREEMAN)