NOW being conscious and “lesson learned” from his being preventively suspended by the Ombudsman, Gov. Aris Aumentado vows to take legal action against the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) if he finds any lapse(s) perpetrated by the agency allowing any project of public or private development without compliance of the requirements.
“I learned some lesson nga kinahanglanon gyud nga ato gyung tutokan gyud ang kabahin sa protected area,” he told the Freeman in interview in Cebu during his visit of its founding day.
And to prove that he’s serious about the no-nonsense efforts for environmental protection and preservation, he told Capitol reports on Friday that he will create the Task Force for all the Protected Areas Management Board (PAMB), not just the Chocolate Hills PAMB.
He said that he or the TF PAMB will scrutinize every plan and documents of every development project in protected area to ensure that everything is complied with.
He said that there were projects being proposed and started to construct even without the required Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) but allowed by the DENR as in the case of the Captain’s Peak resort in barangay Canmano, Sagbayan, Bohol.
It was also found that Captain’s Peak resort has not secured the required Special Use Agreement in Protected Areas (SAPA) from the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB), considering that the resort is situated within the Chocolate Hills Natural Monument.
The fiasco generated by the said resort has caused the preventive suspension of some 69 officials, including the PAMB members and the agency concerned.
The governor assumed office on August 5 following he received the lifting of his suspension three days prior.
Based on the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas (E-NIPAS Law), a.k.a. Republic Act No. 11038, Bohol has five protected areas.
These are the Alburquerque – Loay – Loboc Protected Landscape and Seascape with 1,165.51 hectares; Chocolate Hills Natural Monument, 13,994.95 has.; Panglao Island Protected Seascape, 2,445.08 has.; Rajah Sikatuna Protected Landscape, 10,964.64 has.; and Talibon Group of Islands Protected landscape and Seascape, 6,446.31 has. (Ric Obedencio)
