[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’Where does Boracay’s environmental fee go?’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=’30’ subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’18’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=” av-medium-font-size-title=” av-small-font-size-title=” av-mini-font-size-title=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”][/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
Saturday, March 3, 2018
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=’18’ font_color=” color=” av-medium-font-size=” av-small-font-size=” av-mini-font-size=” admin_preview_bg=”]
MANILA – The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has created a 12-person team to investigate and file charges against local government officials and personnel and private individuals liable for the environmental problems of Boracay Island.
The team will, among others, look into the use of the environmental fee collected by the local government of Malay, Aklan if it is according to the law, said DILG officer-in-charge Eduardo Año.
The environmental fee is P75. It is collected from all tourists entering Boracay.
“Their investigation shall cover a period of 10 years, reckoning from the year 2008 up to 2018. I expect them to submit a comprehensive report on the result of their probe as soon as possible,” said Año.
The move is in line with President Rodrigo Duterte’s instruction to the DILG and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to fix Boracay’s environmental woes in six months.
The island is under the jurisdiction of Malay town.
“We’ll make sure that those responsible would be held liable,” said Año.
The Boracay Investigating Team (BIT) would do its probe on government officials and employees soon, especially those involved in giving permits to establishments.
“All those directly involved in the issuance of permits to areas that are operating establishments illegally and conniving with officials will not be spared from this investigation,” said Año.
DILG assistant secretary for Plans and Programs Epimaco Densing III is the team’s chairperson while DILG Senior Executive Assistant Jerry Loresco of the Office of the Undersecretary for Peace and Order, Public Safety, and Policy and Programs is the vice chairperson.
Año said the creation of the BIT is in the exercise of DILG’s supervisory power over local government units and to make sure the Boracay crisis does not happen again.
He earlier recommended placing Boracay under a state of calamity to hasten the mitigation response and rehabilitation efforts of the national government and the private sector.
The other members of the BIT are the Bureau of Local Government Supervision (BLGS) director Odilon Pasaraba; Legal and Legislative Liaison Service (LLLS) director Romeo Benitez; Trial and Investigation Division officer-in-charge Maria Elena Quebral; BLGS Policy Compliance and Monitoring Division chief Maria Rhodora Flores; Frederick Lubuguin of the LLLS; Benjamin Zabala of the Internal Affairs Service; Engineer Richard Cruz of the Office of Project Development Services; DILG Region 6 director Anthony Nuyda Jr.; and representatives of the Bureau of Fire Protection and Police Regional Office 6. (PNA)
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
