PUERTO PRINCESA CITY, Palawan — Eco-warriors in El Nido on Wednesday tagged as “spot on” President Rodrigo Duterte’s cautionary advice to local government units (LGUs) to take initiative in the recovery of their tourist destinations, whose environmental health have been compromised.
Aram dela Cruz, Bantay El Nido (BEN) organizer and administrator of the social media site El Nido Forum, said Duterte’s forewarning to the LGUs is necessary to get them back on track in environmental protection and conservation, particularly in areas heavy in tourism.
“Tama naman ang warning ni Presidente Duterte. Kasi kung baga sinasabi niya na linisin niyo na ‘yan, huwag niyo nang hintayin na kami pa ang kumilos dahil mas kayo ang nakakaalam kung ano ang sakit ng kalikasan natin (President Duterte’s warning is right. It’s like saying, cleanup, don’t wait for us to move because you’re the ones who know about the health condition of our environment),” dela Cruz said.
He said the President’s call made during his State of the Nation Address would even be better if the enforcement of environmental laws is strengthened.
Dela Cruz said the gap between having formal laws and their enforcement raises challenges in environmental protection, most particularly in the barangays.
“The problem is in the enforcement of environmental laws. Isn’t it that a barangay chairman here was killed in doing his responsibility? El Nido is like a small village, people are connected to each other. How can you punish or penalize when barangay officials are friends or relatives with the suspects? Something must be done about this,” he said.
Dela Cruz was referring to the case of 49-year old Barangay Villa Libertad chairman Ruben Arzaga, who was shot dead during an anti-illegal logging operation – which he joined with other environmental enforcers in the remote mountainous area of El Nido on September 14, 2017.
He was the chairperson of the municipality’s El Nido Law Enforcement Council and was also an active member of the El Nido-Taytay Managed Resource Protected Area Management Board.
“The statement of the President is good, and I hope it does not remain as just an idea. In the barangay level, I think it’s time to arm the barangay officials and the security brigade so they can effectively help in doing environmental protection,” dela Cruz said.
He added the focus of Duterte’s administration is to improve improper management of natural resources and the Chief Executive anticipates the LGUs in emerging tourism destinations in Palawan and other provinces to lead in the protection of their ecological systems.
Last February, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu included the Puerto Princesa Underground River and El Nido on the list of tourist spots that needed tidying up due to wastewater and garbage problems, overcrowding, and encroachment of business establishments and informal settlers in coastal easement zones and timberland areas.
His order was carried out for implementation with the help of the El Nido municipal government, through the leadership of Mayor Nieves Rosento.
Rj dela Calzada, the administrative officer and spokesperson of the El Nido municipal government and a known environmentalist, said Duterte’s point on rationalizing an all-inclusive and sustainable national policy on utilization, management, and development of lands can help prevent the degradation of critical ecological areas in the Philippines.
“The LGUs have shared responsibilities to protect the environment, and for President Duterte to mention this in his SONA only means it is an urgent task for us to fast-track our compliance,” he said.
Even before the DENR’s order to shape up, he said Rosento has previously planned about rectifying several environment snags in the town such as not having a sewage treatment plant to remove contaminants from wastewater.
“In 2016, we already started doing public consultations on the easement zone because she has noticed some establishments were too close to the sea. But El Nido then has a lot of problems that needed her attention,” he said.
When the DENR passed down the order, he said the municipal government reacted proactively and gave out resources to do the task even if funds are limited.
Just recently, El Nido residents, government officials, civic groups, and environmentalists renewed their commitment to protect and strengthen their natural resources and to work together towards the sustainability of their prized tourism industry.
“Ngayon ay hindi na pangit ang resulta ng water testing na ginagawa sa Bacuit Bay, maganda na ang quality ng tubig dagat dahil sa effort to clean up the easement zone and to fix the sewage problem (Right now, the result of the water testing done in Bacuit Bay has improved because of the effort to clean up the easement zone and to fix the sewage problem),” he said.
In the long-term, the LGU will be putting a sewage treatment plant facility to ensure that the wastewater will no longer have harmful contaminants that could compromise the water in Bacuit Bay.
He added they are now in the finalization stage of clinching a bank loan of around PHP259 million to construct a treatment plant in the town center to treat wastewater discharge.
Dela Calzada said El Nido’s clean-up drive is nearing completion with only a few structures in the three-meter coastal easement zone remaining to be removed. (Celeste Anna Formoso/PNA)