Monday, March 19, 2007 Vice mayor wants John Hay's environment compliance reviewed By Rimaliza Opiña
ACTING Baguio Vice Mayor Leandro Yangot Jr. called on the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to reassess compliance with the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) of Camp John Hay developers.
This as Yangot said there is also a need to review, validate and enforce such other laws, resolutions, ordinances, contracts, agreements, permits, proclamations, administrative and executive orders, and legislations in relation to the development of CJH.
Consistent with the stand of the City Council to review and even revise the resolution containing the 19 conditions for the development of CJH, Yangot said this is the proper time to review the compliance of concerned parties, which would also have to include the Bases Conversion and Development Authority (BCDA) subsidiary, the John Hay Management Corporation.
The nine-year-old ECC issued by former DENR secretary Victor Ramos contained among others that aside from the environmental impact assessment (EIA) and environmental impact statement (EIS), all laws, regulations and applicable conditions set by the City Council, form part of the ECC.
But Yangot, in an earlier privilege speech, pressed for the creation of a team that would review and possibly recommend some amendments to Resolution 362-1994, in view of what he claimed are numerous violations committed by CJH developers.
He cited in his proposed Resolution 14 conditions that needed to be reviewed by the DENR, such as the development of CJH's eco-tourism programs, preferential employment of residents from communities near the camp, inspection of the presence of local permits like building, occupancy, mechanical, health and sanitation permits.
Yangot is also for the review of the presence of a geological or geotechnical seismic risk assessment, status reports of their environmental management plan (EMP), particularly on their domestic water supply, watershed and forest, storm water, solid waste, eco-tourism and traffic management plans.
"The establishment of an environmental guarantee fund, monitoring committee, environmental management office, skills training of displaced CJH employees, emergency preparedness program, tracking of and control of the usage of pesticides, and an information and education team also have to be looked into," Yangot added.
The condition that requires obtaining a new EIA if modifications are done on the original development plans as well as the condition that says the ECC is deemed expired if construction does not start within five years from its issuance also have to be evaluated, said the vice mayor.
