AN OFFICIAL from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Davao Region (DENR-Davao) said that only two out of the 22 surveyed inland resorts located in Marilog District have environmental compliance certificates (ECC) and only one has a certificate of non-coverage (CNC).
Myrrha Fair L. Barquilla, senior environmental management specialist of the chemical and hazardous waste permitting section of DENR, during the Kapihan sa Bagong Pilipinas press conference on Tuesday, July 16, 2024, at the DENR office said that the survey was conducted in 2023-2024.
“Ang problema lang kasi nahihirapan silang mag-comply nung ECC because of the issue with the zoning because dapat nasa proper zone sila (The problem is they have difficulties in complying with the ECC because of the issue with zoning since they should be in the proper zone),” she said.
She also mentioned that most of the resorts in Marilog started during the pandemic, adding to the reason for the lack of certification.
Atty. Ma. Mercedes Dumagan, regional executive director of DENR-Davao, said that the agency has continued its efforts in surveying the area but the office has to hurdle limited manpower challenges.
Dumagan said the agency has already released notices of violation to resorts that have not complied with the requirements.
The ECC and the CNC are documents that prove that the establishment does not harm the environment around it.
To recall in 2018, a few inland resorts in Marilog were subjected to demolition due to noncompliance with the DENR’s requirements. Around 30 resorts were initially shut down since it was revealed to be operating without permits. They were eventually lifted as the city pushed for limited eco-tourism activities in 2019.
Barquilla revealed that in 2021, the department conducted a survey in the area and found that there were 19 resorts in the area. She clarified that during the survey, several businesses were closed due to issues with their business permits. Allyssa Kaye Casas, AdDU Intern
