BEACH LIFE Tourists enjoy an afternoon break along the white sand beach in Cloud 9, General Luna town on Siargao Island, the top tourism drawer of Surigao del Norte. —ERWIN MASCARIÑAS
DEL CARMEN, SIARGAO ISLAND — Majority of commercial and tourism-related establishments in the country’s surfing capital, Siargao Island, were found to be operating without an environmental compliance certificate (ECC), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) disclosed.
This issue was the same problem faced by establishments on Boracay Island, which was discovered when the island was shut down for six months in 2018 due to violation of environmental laws.
But the DENR said it would help the island’s businesses and residents to protect and preserve their environment and ensure that Siargao would not suffer the fate of Boracay.
Prevention mode
“We are very much in that prevention mode … the DENR has made an effort to bring the tools that need to be used in environmental management directly to the [local government units] and to the communities that actually need it,” said Environment Secretary Antonia Yulo Loyzaga, referring to the agency’s Project Transform launched here on Friday.
The initiative is intended to help local government units in implementing programs like coastal rehabilitation and greenhouse gas inventory that would create resilient and sustainable communities.
DENR data showed that out of 1,108 tourism-related establishments on the island, only 192, or 17 percent, have secured their permit.
Operating without the ECC is a violation of Presidential Decree No. 1856, stressed Environment Undersecretary Jonas Leones, noting that the erring establishments will soon receive their notice of violation and face penalties.
Leones explained that the ECC was designed to anticipate the possible effects of an activity on the environment.
“If the activity will impact the environment and it cannot be mitigated and prevented, we will not issue an ECC because there’s a set of conditions they need to comply with,” he said.
Service on wheels
To make it easier for Siargao establishments to secure their environmental permits, the agency also launched “DENR Service on Wheels,” which will accept online applications for ECC, tenurial instrument requests/applications, and titles from the prospected applicants, especially resort owners who, based on the agency’s findings, have resorted to fake ECCs.
Nonito Tamayo, DENR regional executive director in Caraga, pointed out that the need to travel from the island to the mainland in Surigao City to secure the permit was one of the reasons why businesses were noncompliant with the requirement.
“For us to be able to serve our clients here better and faster … we decided to do the services on wheels while we’re waiting to have a regular office here on the island of Siargao,” he said.
Siargao Island is composed of the towns of Burgos, Dapa, Del Carmen, General Luna, Pilar, San Benito, San Isidro, and Santa Monica, all under the province of Surigao del Norte.
The island is accessible by air from Manila and Cebu through its airport located in Del Carmen but most of its surfing activities that have been luring tourists into the island are done in the famous Cloud Nine beach strip in General Luna town, which is about 38 kilometers from Del Carmen. INQ
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