City Council seeks to resolve issues in proposed Fish Port Project

During the regular session yesterday, the city council set a committee meeting this Wednesday afternoon to invite different concerned national agencies and city government offices to discuss the concerns.

In his privilege speech, City Councilor Luis Marcaida III underscored the significance of the proposed project to the local economy and the city’s fisheries yet some 40 individuals will be affected. Marcaida proposes to invite the project’s contractor, the city housing office as well as other concerned offices to resolve the issues.

“Ma-invite natin ang contractor, ang city housing at iba pang opisina upang himayhimayin, para mapag usapan ang mga interventions, upang maiwasan na ma-displaced po sila. Isang buhay, dalawang bhunay or tatlong buhay ay napakalaking bujay ito po ay 40,” Marcaida proposes.

Marcaida who served briefly as an acting city mayor in 2017 and vice mayor from 2013-2019, was also a former punong barangay of Bancao-Bancao.

He highlighted the need to protect the rights of the people who have been residing in the area for many years, suggesting that those who will be displaced should be give relocation and other assistance.

City Councilor Elgin Damasco, who is the chairman of the committee on environment, underscored the need of the project proponent to secure government mandated requirements and permits before they should start.

He noted that the project has already started despite having no Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resource (DENR) yet.

“The LGU should require ECC (from the project proponent). This requirement is mandated by DENR, DILG and other government offices. The LGU should enforce this mandate before issuing local permits,” Damasco said in his privilege speech.

He emphasized that the ECC is not just a mere piece of paper but this instrument ensures that a project is environmentally sound and sustainable. Securing ECC is also not optional, but rather should be complied by all projects.

“Ang batas ay hindi optional. Ito ay obligasyon,” Damasco reminded.

Another law that Damasco highlighted is RA 7611 also known as the Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) for Palawan Act that requires project proponents to secure SEP clearance from the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS).

Damasco also wanted to know if the proposed project has already secured permits from the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) since he said, he did not find the name of the project posted in the PRA website.

On Wednesday, this issue will be tackled by three committees of the city council as they work to speedily resolve issues on the proposed fishport project. The committee meeting will be attended by different national agencies and local government offices, the affected barangay local government which is Bancao-Bancao, the informal settlers in the area, who will be affected by the project.