DENR issues ‘stricter’ guidelines for Boracay projects
MANILA, Philippines—Stricter guidelines have been set by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on the processing of environmental certificates for all projects in Boracay as part of the island’s “continuing rehabilitation.”
The DENR on Wednesday issued Administrative Order No. 2025-36 which imposes stricter processing of Environmental Compliance Certificates (ECC) and Certificates of Non-Coverage (CNC) that are sought by project proponents in the island.
The agency explained that the order provides standards for evaluating the carrying capacity and geological hazards in reviewing and processing of all ECC and CNC applications.
The order applies to all existing projects in Boracay, as well as expansion projects and new developments on the island that “fall within the purview” of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) system.
The system is a regulatory framework that requires ECC for projects that likely to have significant environmental impacts under Presidential Decree No. 1586.
According to the new guidelines by the DENR, all proponents of existing, expansion and new projects covered by the EIS System must secure an ECC.
They are required to submit an EIS or an Initial Environmental Examination (IEE) checklist, a certification from the local government unit confirming the compatibility of their projects with existing land use plans, zoning certificates and a resolution from the Sangguniang Bayan on land reclassification, land use exemption and land use conversion.
READ: Boracay rehab projects to continue even after Duterte’s term
Proponents must also provide a project layout overlaid on a Google project location map, as well as a site development plan signed by registered professionals.
A proof of authority over the project site must also be submitted by project proponents.
The site can be a public land, a private land or land under ancestral domains.
They will also need to secure certification from the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (Penro) on land classification, as well as a certificate of compliance to beachfront easement and road easement requirements, according to the DENR.
“New projects are further required to submit an Engineering Geological and Geohazard Assessment Report endorsed by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB) or an MGB-issued Geohazard Verification Report, carrying capacity assessments endorsed by the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau and LGU clearance/certification certifying compliance with Physical Carrying Capacity limits,” the DENR said in a statement.
As for projects that are not covered by the EIS System, including new projects by the national government classified under “applicable thresholds,” qualified family dwellings, small local businesses, places of worship and minor infrastructure, they are required to secure a CNC.
Applications for CNC for Boracay projects will be filed and processed manually at the Environmental Management Bureau of Western Visayas “to allow proper validation and site inspection prior to issuance.”
“Pursuant to the [administrative order], the DENR Regional Office is mandated to ensure compliance with key environmental safeguards, including proper treatment of all wastewater through established wastewater or sewerage treatment facilities, with no discharge of untreated or inadequately treated wastewater into island waters that could exceed National Water Quality Guideline Values for Class SB and SC waters,” the department said.
The order was issued by the DENR nearly eight years after then-President Rodrigo Duterte created a task force that would manage the rehabilitation of the entire island of Boracay.
The task force came to an end when Duterte stepped down.
Among the major rehabilitation projects in Boracay at that time was the clearing of structures encroaching on the beachfront, the main road and forest lands.
This campaign led to the closure of Boracay for six months – April to October 2018 – from tourists so that the emergency rehabilitation could begin.
The move was meant to prevent environmental degradation, pollution and illegal structures, with Duterte describing the place as a “cesspool (storage for liquid waste and sewage),” a tag that did not sit well with the island’s residents.
READ: ‘Cesspool’ tag upsets Boracay residents
The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force said in 2022, during Duterte’s final year in office, that rehabilitation on the island would continue despite the change in the political administration. /apl
