Thursday, April 17, 2008 Housing agency sets own inquiry on Dakit landslide
A CEBU City Hall official wants an investigation on Monday’s landslide to determine how much damage Landco’s development in Barangay Guadalupe has caused to the environment and the community.
City Planning and Development Office (CPDO) chief Nigel Paul Villarete said the investigation will help determine if Landco Pacific Corp.’s (Landco) P100,000 financial assistance to the affected families is enough.
The Housing and Land Use Regulatory Board (HLURB), too, will invite Landco, developer of Monterrazas de Cebu, to explain the Sitio Dakit, Guadalupe flooding.
HLURB 7 Director Antonio Decatoria said they want to know if Landco obeyed the conditions imposed by the City Government, which issued the project’s development permit.
He said they also want to determine if guidelines contained in the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) were observed.
Agency’s role
“The role of HLURB is to issue the Certification of Registration of the subdivision and the license, but it does not mean that we will not monitor the progress of the project”, Decatoria said.
He read about the incident in the papers when he arrived from Leyte yesterday.
“We will call first the developer before we will conduct an actual inspection of the area. We want to know if there are lapses in the implementation of the project so we can impose penalties,” he said.
Villarete said he will ask the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) to invite the Landco project’s tripartite monitoring committee.
“We requested the EMB to proceed with the detailed investigation on how much damage there is and determine the amount that can be charged to Landco’s environment guarantee fund,” he told Sun.Star Cebu.
He said that although he still has to send his written request today, he already informed the EMB director about it.
A landslide blamed on the development of Monterrazas de Cebu submerged nine houses in silt-limestone floodwaters Monday dawn.
Landco immediately released P100,000 in financial assistance to the affected families through Barangay Guadalupe’s officials.
“It’s fortunate if Landco gave more than what the committee says they should give. But what if they are not giving enough?” Villarete said.
Guarantee fund
As specified in the ECC, developers of environmentally critical projects are required to come up with an environment guarantee fund, which would be used for rehabilitation efforts and assistance to parties who might be affected by any damage the project would cause during construction and after its operations.
The fund represents a certain percentage of the total project cost.
The ECC also requires the creation of the tripartite monitoring committee, which is composed of representatives from the DENR, the local government, the developer, and a non-government organization.
“We will look whether or not the specifications and standards are being followed like the drainage and access roads”, Decatoria said.
He said the HLURB is mandated to oversee any development, and the City Government is only deputized in the issuance of a development permit.
In a phone interview yesterday, Landco business development director Lormilo Galo said the P100,000 they initially gave was from their internal funds, and was not charged to the guarantee fund.
He said they would comply with the recommendations of the tripartite committee and the DENR.
Galo also assured that their company is doing everything to make sure another landslide would not occur in their area, lest the City Government cancels their business permits.
Mayor Tomas Osmeña had already canceled Landco’s development permits, which they can apply for again once they finish the five water retention ponds that will control the flow of rainwater to the lowlands.
The development of Monterrazas de Cebu started in April 2007.
The project spans four kilometers and 200 hectares of land covering portions of Barangays Guadalupe, Tisa, Labangon, Buhisan and Sapangdaku, all in Cebu City. (LCR/EOB)
