The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) revoked a Jan. 17, 2006 agreement between them and the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) which allows the SBMA to issue environmental compliance certificate (ECC) to companies prior to starting ventures in the free port zone.
The privilege was revoked after recent complaints by locals against the SBMA owing to some environmental violations perpetrated by some companies operating in the free port. Add to that, SBMA failed to secure from the DENR the ECC’s for the economic zone itself. They also failed to issue regular monitoring reports to the DENR on the compliance of companies who have been issued ECC’s.
Hence forth, the DENR will be solely responsible for the implementation and monitoring of environmental laws and violations in the area. DENR Secretary, Lito Atienza, said that the privilege to issue ECC’s and permits will only be returned to the SMBA once they have proved that they can implement the country’s environmental laws.
The Subic freeport zone was a former US military base that the Philippines took over once the agreement between the US and the Philippines expired.
The SBMA got into the environmental hot seat last year after complaints that Hanjin Industries had cut some very old trees in their area. Add to that the recent news that a hotel-casino operator planned to cut down 300 tree’s for their project, then the report the world renowned architect, Jun Palafox, was asked for an “18% commission” by an SBMA official in order for his firm to be awarded a project.
The DENR seems to be starting 2009 on a running start as they took no time in reshuffling their regional directors to different regional offices and now this news of revoking licensing privileges to a major freeport zone.
According to the Secretary, the Philippine President herself expects a more “vibrant” management of the country’s environmental resources this 2009.
[source]
Category: Law, Environment
