Panglao Mayor Pedro Fuertes was called to start issuing demolition orders to environmental violators in Panglao specifically along the Alona beach area which is one of Bohol’s top tourist draws.
The order to the town mayor was made by Michael Dino, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas, during a meeting called for the said purpose at the Governor’s Mansion last Thursday.
PENRO Salem Quiwag of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) welcomed the marching order issued by the Palace official in order to “give teeth” to the order issued earlier this year by DENR Sec. Roy Cimatu who personally inspected the beach resorts in Panglao.
Up to this date, no resort included in the list of violators has started to demolish their illegal structures despite having been informed by DENR.
“They are simply waiting legal orders to demolish their structures,” Quiwag told theChronicle after attending the meeting presided by Dino in the presence of Gov. Edgar Chatto and leaders in the tourism industry.
Dino told Mayor Fuertes to start issuing the orders by now and indicate that execution of the demolition will start on Aug. 1 this year. The August implementation was a compromise reached after Mayor Fuertes said it might not be good to see demolished structures this July when we are expecting thousands of balikbayans who are attending the Tigum Bola-non sa Tibook Kalibutan (TBTK)
Gov. Edgar Chatto who attended the meeting said the mayor should implement the order of PA Dino in order to see tangible results on the inspection done by Sec. Cimatu in Panglao.
The local DENR worked out for the said meeting in order to break the deadlock in implementing the demolition.
“It would be dangerous to get the ire of the President if he will know that Sec. Cimatu’s order was not being implemented here,” Dino concluded.