MANILA, Philippines--Environment Secretary Joselito Atienza has asked groups in Boracay not to discriminate against a resort that was partly built on top of a coral reef on the island, saying other resorts there were as guilty of trashing the environment.

Asked to comment on reports that West Cove, a resort owned by a businessman said to be close to boxer Manny Pacquiao, had built a structure on top of a coral reef in Boracay, Atienza said West Cove wasn?t the only one that should be investigated.

?Let?s not focus on one resort. Let?s address concerns on all the resorts,? said Atienza, who was also reported to be close to the owner of West Cove, businessman Crisostomo Aquino.

?There is too much anarchy (in Boracay). The environmental situation there is chaotic, perpetrated by the local government units,? said Atienza.

He said the DENR would verify if, indeed, West Cove had built structures on a coral reef in Boracay.
Pictures of construction in the resort showed a hut rising on top of a coral reef that had been cemented on its sides.

Aquino, the West Cove owner, had said in an interview with the Inquirer Visayas Bureau that his resort has a pending application for a FlagT, a document that would allow him to occupy and develop forest land for tourism purposes for 25 years.

According to the businessman, his other applications for business and other permits are on hold until he has secured a FlagT, which would have to come from Atienza?s office.

Municipal officials in Boracay said West Cove has been operating without permits since 2007.

Atienza said the DENR wants to ?check if (what they say about the construction of West Cove) is correct.?
?But what about the others (resorts)?? he said.

He said many resorts near Boracay?s white sand beach were also violating environmental laws.

?Let?s address the problem as a whole and not discriminate,? he said.

The DENR, according to the secretary, is currently conducting a survey in Boracay prior to giving out titles to lots that have already been occupied there.

?There is already a process ongoing,? said Atienza.

He said he ordered a freeze on the payment of taxes on lots, as many lot occupants use tax declarations to lay claim to pieces of property in Boracay.

Last year, the Supreme Court upheld Malacanang?s declaration that land in Boracay is public property and that private landowners cannot get titles to their lots without a law from Congress.

Business groups in the island sought an immediate halt to the construction of West Cove, saying it was ?illegal and destructive.?

Atienza has repeatedly said the DENR would crack down on violations of environmental laws in Boracay.