None of the establishments along the Alona shoreline in Panglao which violated the 20-meter easement rule have started to demolish structures erected along the no-build zone, 17 days after Environment Sec. Roy Cimatu inspected the area.
Panglao municipal administrator Weng Lagura earlier said that some resort violators have started to comply with the 20-meter easement, but recent inspection indicated that illegal structures remained on the coastline’s salvage zone.
Various reports gathered by station dyRD also indicated that even after Cimatu’s inspection, some resorts have set up movable structures such as tents, which served as extension of restaurants, along the beach instead of clearing the area.
According to resort owner and Panglao Island Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Inc. (PICCI) vice president Dolereich Dumaluan, some resort operators are set to appeal to Cimatu for reconsideration on the easement policy.
Resort owners want to hold a dialogue with Cimatu to explain that the structures that are now deemed illegal were once out of the easement zone but beach erosion has caused seawater to move closer to their establishments, said Dumaluan.
The operators will also propose to Cimatu to instead focus on the rehabilitation of the beach to widen the shoreline, he added.
“Kadto untang pagbisita ni Sec. Cimatu mao unta toy panahon nga makig-storya mi mga stakeholders, pero si Gov. daghan pang gi-apil nga activity,” Dumaluan said.
“Dapat taas man unta to siya ug oras diri sa Panglao kay mao jud toy tuyo niya pag ari…mao nga mangita lang mi lain schedule para makig-audience mi ni Sec.”
A total of 87 resorts were listed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources as among violators of the 20-meter easement rule based on a list issued by the agency.
Last month, Cimatu conducted an hour-long inspection of beachfront resorts along the almost kilometer-long Alona shoreline to check their compliance with environmental laws.
Although he said that the resorts did not appear to be violating the Clean Water Act, he noted that many of the establishments have structures which encroached on the easement zone.
Cimatu however was optimistic that the issue would be resolved within six months noting that many of the resort operators expressed cooperation and support during the inspection.
“There were several buildings that were compliant but there were also plenty of non-compliant, but the good thing is they were really receptive of our request for them to move to the authorized easement in Panglao…I am very confident na ma-solve ito,” he said. (A. Doydora)