ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARD

AN ongoing reclamation project at the Calmay River just beside the Jose R. de Venecia Sr. Expressway Extension in barangay Poblacion Oeste caught the ire of Mayor Alipio Fernandez Jr.

Fernandez fumed and said DENR violated its own rules by issuing the Environmental Compliance Certificate to a reclamation project of a certain William Chua who reportedly claims he is holding an ECC issued by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).

Earlier attempts of the city government to stop the reclamation were rebuffed by Chua.

The mayor maintains that the DENR, by issuing the ECC, is killing the river, one of the natural resources it swears to protect, as he pointed out that his office was never consulted prior to the issuance of the ECC.

Fernandez vowed to pursue efforts to stop the reclamation as residents of Poblacion Oeste expressed fears that their barangay would be constantly flooded on account of the reclamation.

The mayor noted the progress of the reclamation project when the expressway extension was inaugurated last December 27 by its builder, former House Speaker Jose de Venecia Jr., congressman of the Fourth District of Pangasinan.

Vowing to stop the project, the mayor said even if Chua is presumed to have a land title on the part of the river he is reclaiming, the law states that he can no longer recover the same after it has already became part of the river.

This is the law, he said, adding that any titled property encroached upon by the river system by the act of nature already became part of the public domain and is no longer recoverable.

“I hope DENR will not issue other ECCs for the filling up of the other rivers in the city, including Pantal River,” Fernandez chuckled, as he vowed to raise the issue to higher authorities in the DENR.

When asked to comment on the resumption of the reclamation project after it was stopped by CENRO, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Officer Leduina Co said she issued a memorandum asking Community Environment and Natural Resources Officer Romeo Nalupa to explain.

Co agreed with Nalupa when he explained that the one empowered to do this is the local government unit or the city of Dagupan since DENR has no police power.

The reclamation project was first stopped by the CENRO three months ago based on the complaint raised by City Engineer Virginia Rosario, since it had not applied for a permit from her office.

However, CENRO later allowed the project to continue after Chua showed the ECC issued by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the DENR.

Superintendent Mariano Luis Verzosa, chief of police, who also attended the inauguration of the expressway extension, said he was surprised to see the reclamation project still continuing with over one hectare area of the Calmay River already filled up with boulders and sand and gravel.

Engr. Rosario said her office was not consulted by EMB before granting an ECC to the reclamation project in Dagupan City.

“What I know is, they are reclaiming the portion of the river to build a cement batching plant, said Verzosa, adding that such a project would seriously threaten the environment in the area. –LM

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