DENR announces the suspension of ECC applications at regional level

CAPTAIN’S PEAK GARDEN AND RESORT / This aerial shot of Captain’s Peak Garden and Resort in Sagbayan town in Bohol shows a large swimming pool in between the Chocolate Hills. It has been posted in the resort痴 FB page. But the page was deactivated on Wednesday (March 13, 2024) morning after the photo went viral. (File picture by LEO UDTOHAN)

MANILA, Philippines — Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga announced on Tuesday that applications of Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECC) at the regional level will be suspended.

According to the DENR, the Environmental Management Bureau will now review and approve ECC applications.

READ: Mount Apo Natural Park to stay closed until April 30, says DENR

The directive was also contained in a memorandum dated March 26.

“Approval by the Regional Offices of all ECC applications for projects within [Protected Areas] is hereby suspended until further notice,” the memorandum read.

“All pending and future ECC applications for projects within [Protected Areas] processed at the Regional Offices shall be submitted to the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) Central Office for final review and approval,” it added.

The memorandum likewise said that ECCs will also need to be endorsed by the Biodiversity Management Bureau before they can be approved, and the ECCs of Environmentally Critical Projects will have to be cleared by the Environment Secretary or her representative.

READ: Earth Hour 2024: DENR urges public to urgently address planetary crisis

Recently, a photo of a resort in the Chocolate Hills, a protected area, in Bohol made rounds in social media in March, gaining the ire of people for defacing the natural landscape.

The DENR said that the resort, which was temporarily closed, was found to be operating without an ECC.