After clearing the coastal easement in El Nido town since last year and removing structures and buildings that encroached it, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) this time, direct its eyes on Puerto Princesa City.
Regional Executive Director Henry Adornado of the DENR-MIMAROPA said that they are set to start the enforcement of coastal easement law within the coastline of the city.
The DENR, through the Task Force El Nido, together with the provincial and municipal governments, has started the clearing within the coastal easement in El Nido town specifically the portions of the 32 buildings that encroached within the three-meter coastal easement in Barangay Buena Suerte and Masagana last June 2018. They also demolished more than 30 shanties and houses made of light materials in Barangay Corong-Corong.
He said that the clean-up in El Nido is ongoing, while plans for the execution has started also in San Vicente. The next target is Puerto Princesa City, especially the tourism destination sites.
“Itong paglilinis sa ating coastal easement, ay meron tayo sa El Nido, sa Fort Barton sa San Vicente at magkakaroon na sa Puerto Princesa,” Adornado said.
He explained that the delineation of the easement is consistent with the provisions of Presidential Decree 1067 otherwise known as the Water Code of the Philippines.
Article 51 of the Water Code states that “The banks of rivers and streams and the shores of the seas and lakes throughout their entire length and within a zone of three meters in urban area, 20 meters in agricultural areas and 40 meters in forest areas, along their margins, are subject to the easement of public use in the interest of recreation, navigation, flotage, fishing and salvage. No person shall be allowed to stay in this zone longer than what is necessary for recreation, navigation, flotage, fishing or salvage or to build structures of any kind.”
Any construction or structure that encroaches into such easement shall be ordered removed or cause to be removed by the appropriate government agency or the local government unit.
“This is important in protecting and maintaining our environment,” said Adornado.
Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer Felizardo Cayatoc of DENR-CENRO said that they are set to start the enforcement of the law since the coastal easement and salvage zones shall be strictly set aside for public use.
Their office ta
rgeted to start it this month, September 2019.
He said that they will start in identified tourism destination areas and this is part of the clean-up of the coastal easement from any structures and obstructions.
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