The Department of Environment and Natural Resources wasn’t informed about the approval of the Mactan North Reclamation Development Project by the Office of the President and the Philippine Reclamation Authority.
“We submitted all our documents to the DENR central office in Manila because this project is more than 50 hectares and based on their procedures all the requirements are directed to the central office,” said lawyer Michael Dignos, project manager.
Dignos said the Lapu-Lapu City government entered into an agreement with the PRA to implement the project on the condition that they secure Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the DENR on April 27, 2008.
READ: DENR: STILL NO RECLA PERMITS
He said they were granted an ECC on April 22, 2009 and the agreement was signed by the MNRDP, DENR and PRA in Manila last year.
Dignos said the project was endorsed to the DENR through their Environmental Management Bureau (EMB). He said the reclamation project started in 2004 when Lapu-Lapu City was still a component city of Cebu province.
Dignos said they don’t need approval from the National Economic Development Authority since the reclamation project is a joint venture and they didn’t ask for government funding.
Dignos said they hope to launch the groundbreaking of the project with a consortium of developers within this year.
Pre-reclamation project activities started last month in barangays Ibo, Buaya, Mactan and Punta Engaño.