OSLOB’S resorts and other tourism-dependent establishments have been warned.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 7 found at least 47 establishments on Oslob’s coastline that have illegal structures within the 20-meter easement zone.
Around 34 small resorts in the southern Cebu town were also found to have no wastewater discharge permits.
During a meeting with local officials yesterday, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Michael Dino reminded tourism stakeholders in Oslob to comply with environmental standards or face the same fate as that of Boracay.
“We don’t want a scenario where the national government will close Oslob. We don’t want that,” Dino said yesterday, during his visit to that town.
In response, Oslob Mayor Jose Tumulak Jr. said that DENR’s findings were a wake-up call for the town, which depends on tourism, including its well-known whale shark watching activity.
Elpidio Palaca, head of the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) in Argao, told SunStar Cebu that their findings were based on an assessment conducted by the Regional Foreshore Area Task Force (RFATF).
The inspection was done last month.
Easement violations
Palaca said the 47 establishments were violating Presidential Decree 1067 or the Water Code of the Philippines by constructing and maintaining structures within the 20-meter easement zone of the coast.
Article 51 of PD 1067 states that the “banks of rivers and streams and the shores of the seas and lakes throughout their entire length and within a zone of three meters in urban area, 20 meters in agricultural areas, and 40 meters in forest areas, along their margins, are subject to the easement of public use in the interest of recreation, navigation, flotage, fishing and salvage. No person shall be allowed to stay in this zone longer than what is necessary for recreation, navigation, flotage, fishing or salvage or to build structures of any kind.”
Palaca said the results of their findings will be submitted to DENR 7 Director Gilbert Gonzales within the week.
Once Gonzales receives the results of their assessment, Palaca said it will be up to the RFATF if they plan to send notices to the establishments in question.
For its part, the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) 7 also found that 34 small beach resorts in Barangays Poblacion and Tan-awan had failed to secure permits for wastewater discharge.
But Luis Antonio Monisit, EMB 7 senior environmental management specialist, said that even though the 34 small beach resorts don’t have wastewater discharge papers, it doesn’t mean they don’t have proper wastewater facilities.
Monisit said all of the 34 small beach resorts in Oslob have septic tanks but they can’t determine if these were properly constructed to prevent contamination of nearby water sources.
He said they conducted seawater sampling last week to determine if there is already fecal coliform contamination near the shoreline.
The results may be released in a few days, Monisit said.
Ready to do better
Following the results of the RFATF’s assessment, Tumulak admitted that they failed to monitor the effects of the town’s rapid growth in tourism.
He said that ever since Oslob became famous for its whale sharks, the number of tourism establishments in their town such as resorts and pension houses has increased.
Despite the huge task ahead of them, Tumulak said the town and their tourism stakeholders must take a big leap toward changing their policies and fostering eco-friendly tourism.
In 2016, the number of tourists in Oslob reached 232,435. Last year, the number of visitors decreased to 194,510.
From January to March this year, the number of tourists reached 91,335.
“We have a lot to do. But if we don’t fix this, our tourism industry could die,” Tumulak added.
After finding out the results, Dino visited Oslob yesterday. He suggested organizing a technical working group composed of representatives from his office, local officials, DENR and the Department of Tourism to ensure that the commitments made by stakeholders in Oslob are strictly complied with.
Dino also urged DENR to give the affected stakeholders enough time to correct their deficiencies.
Deogenes “Wargong” Derama, former Boljoon mayor and now owner of the Brumini Resort in Barangay Tan-awan, said it was better that DENR informed the resorts earlier as it will give them time to implement the necessary corrections in their facilities and remove illegal structures from the 20-meter easement zone.
He has yet to know if his resort was among those assessed by DENR, and Derama said he will wait if the agency sends him a notice.