The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) through the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) prioritizes the rehabilitation of El Nido as part of its continuing activities to clear the easements of structures.
There are 14 households and 15 commercial establishments in Barangay Bucana, El Nido town that encroached into the coastal easement. These are specifically located in Sitio Calitang and Nacpan.
PENR Officer Eriberto Sanos said that the clean-up in El Nido town is among their priority activities that started last year.
In June 2018, the demolition in Brgy. Maligaya and Barangay Masagana was started. This time, the target 31 buildings are in Brgy. Bucana, a coastal barangay north of the town proper of El Nido.
“Patuloy ang ginagawa nating clean up ng easement. Ito yung nasimulan last year sa proper ng El Nido at tuloy-tuloy ito. Meron ng dinagdag, itong sa Barangay Bucana,” he said.
The PENR officer said that the easement is intended for public use and should be free from any buildings or structures. These households and establishments that encroached the coastal easement will be demolished.
“Na-identify na ang pasok sa easement at ito ay violation ng PD 1067 or the Water Code of the Philippines,” he said.
Article 51 of the Water Code of the Philippines or PD 1067 states that the shores of the seas within a zone of three meters in urban area, 20 meters in agricultural areas and 40 meters in forest areas are considered as easement and salvage zones.
Section 31 also provides that for purposes of Article 51 of the Code, all easements of public use prescribed for the banks or rivers and the shores of seas and lakes shall be reckoned from the line reached by the highest flood which does not cause inundation or the highest equinoctial tide whichever is higher. Any construction or structure that encroaches into such easement shall be ordered removed or cause to be removed by the appropriate government agencies.
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