Monday, July 16, 2007 Cordova mayor threatens to close dive shop
THE lone dive shop that took over Nalusuan Marine Sanctuary is in trouble after newly elected Cordova Mayor Adelino Sitoy learned it has not shared its earnings with the town since 2000.
Cordova was supposed to get 30 percent of the total annual proceeds of the 83.12-hectare sanctuary, as stipulated in a memorandum of agreement (MOA) signed in December 2000 between the town and the dive shop.
Sitoy said operator Michael Mendoza failed to give even a single centavo of the town’s share that could run up to millions of pesos.
No answer
Text messages sent to Mendoza yesterday went unanswered.
“We will be sending demand letters. These people are making profits from our property, but have not been paying us. If they don’t give us a positive response, we will consider reviewing the MOA,” the mayo said.
Enthusiasts
Sitoy said lawyer Ina Asirit, Tourism Secretary Ace Durano’s chief of staff, told him last month that the shop is charging P150 per diving enthusiast.
According to the MOA, Cordova retains absolute control and supervision of the sanctuary.
The same arrangement will also be applied on the town’s plan to privatize the business use of the 14.89 Gilutongan Marine Sanctuary.
Millions
Sitoy said that in Gilutongan, which gives the town millions of pesos of income annually, some irregularities were also discovered.
Among them is the sale of fake ticket duplicates to divers.
Sitoy is promoting investment and intensifying collection of taxes and other fees as ways to address unemployment and augment income, respectively, in the town.
He said regaining operation of the Nalusuan sanctuary is an option if the dive shop could not settle its debt to the town. (AIV)
