ENVIRONMENT Secretary Roy A. Cimatu has suspended all environmental compliance certificates (ECCs) issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to business establishments operating on Boracay Island, the country’s top tourist destination in Malay, Aklan province.
Memorandum Circular (MC) 2018-08 dated July 18, 2018, signed by Cimatu, a copy of which obtained by the BusinessMirror, was handed down on July 19 ordering the suspension and, subsequently, the thorough review of all existing ECCs in terms of their compliance with current local and national laws, rules and regulations.
The DENR is leading the interagency Task Force Boracay composed of the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG). The task force recommended the closure of the island to tourists for six months starting April 26 to fast-track its rehabilitation.
In the review of the ECCs, Cimatu’s order stated that the results of the Cadastral Mapping and Carrying Capacity Study shall be taken into full consideration.
The Cadastral Mapping is a mandate of the Land Management Bureau of the DENR-BMB. Map preparation is the responsibility of the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority. The study of the carrying capacity of Boracay Island was delegated to the DENR’s research arm, the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau.
To conduct the review, a committee composed of representatives from the DENR, Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) and Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), will be created “very soon,” according to DENR Undersecretary Jonas R. Leones.
Task Force Boracay plans to cancel business permits, permits to operate and the ECCs. This move, Leones said, aims to give concerned authorities like the DENR to start with a clean slate in reviewing environmental compliance of business establishments on the island in preparation for its reopening to tourists on October 28.
Leones declined to name the members of the committee that “will be created very, very soon.”
The committee, according to DENR MC 2018-03 will review establishments’ compliance with all existing ECCs and environmental management plans. The committee is also required to submit a report to the DENR chief, either for the lifting of the suspension or cancellation, the order read.
Meanwhile, the DENR-EMB Regional Office has been ordered to continue monitoring establishments during the suspension of their ECCs to ensure all environmental laws are followed. Likewise, this unit will monitor establishments issued with Certificate of Non-Coverage (CNC) for their compliance.
A CNC shows whether a proposed project is required or not to secure an ECC prior to starting operations. This applies to small establishments like eatery, restaurant and other businesses whose operation have minimal impact to the environment or are located away from an environmentally critical area like rivers, lakes, or beach, or areas that are set aside for conservation.