By Christopher Lloyd Caliwan/PNA
MANILA — The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Tuesday ordered local chief executives of 178 cities and municipalities inside the Manila Bay Watershed Area to revoke the business permits of establishments violating environmental laws.
In a statement, DILG spokesperson Undersecretary Jonathan Malaya said Interior Secretary Eduardo Año issued a memorandum directing all mayors of local government units (LGUs) in the National Capital Region (NCR), Central Luzon, and Calabarzon to ensure that all establishments in their areas should comply with the pertinent provisions of the National Building Code, the Fire Code, the Code on Sanitation, and other related laws, regulations, and policies.
The move is part of the Duterte administration’s ongoing efforts to clean and rehabilitate Manila Bay.
The DILG noted that all LGUs should act swiftly on the enforcement of orders from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA), and other government agencies in line with the continuous effort to clean up, rehabilitate and preserve the Manila Bay watershed area.
“The DENR and LLDA have started the inspection of commercial establishments last January 27, 2019, to ensure their compliance with environmental laws. They have issued Cease and Desist Orders and Notices of Violations to various establishments. All concerned LGUs should immediately act on the findings of the DENR and LLDA and revoke or suspend the business permits they have issued, as maybe applicable,” Malaya said.
He said that a business or mayor’s permit is not a right but a privilege granted by the State.
“Let us sustain the momentum of cleaning up Manila Bay. The DILG is committed to doing our role in the interagency Manila Bay Task Force which include supervision of LGUs whether they are judiciously inspecting all establishments in their respective areas,” he added.
To ensure implementation of these laws, Año further instructed DILG Regional Directors of NCR, Central Luzon, and Calabarzon to report to him through the DILG’s Bureau of Local Government Supervision (BLGS) those LGUs and local chief executives (LCEs) who fail to abide by this directive.
In a separate memorandum on January 24, Año directed 178 LGUs and 5,714 barangays inside the Manila Bay Watershed Area to contribute to the rehabilitation of the polluted bay by organizing weekly clean-up drives in their localities such as, but not limited to coastal areas and/or inland water systems, beginning January 27 — the start of the rehabilitation of the Manila Bay.
The DILG is closely monitoring all barangays and will call the attention of those barangays not contributing to the clean-up efforts.
