Governor Gwen Garcia raised concerns over the Environmental Management Bureau’s (EMB) imposition of additional requirements on the Dumanjug Bypass Project during a meeting at the Capitol on Monday, October 7.
The meeting was attended by Dumanjug Mayor Gungun Gica, DENR regional director Paquito Melicor Jr., DPWH District Engineer for Cebu 7, Engr. Edelberto Francisco, and EMB officials led by legal officer Atty. Umalee Monares.
The bypass road project is being implemented by DPWH, from which EMB, an attached agency of DENR, requires additional requirements.
It was learned that EMB initially issued a cease-and-desist order for the project in early May, prompted by a complaint by a private individual alleging environmental lapses committed in the project.
Governor Gwen then learned that the order was not related to environmental issues but stemmed from the project’s initial plans of exceeding 2 kilometers of bypass road that would pass through a mangrove area in Dumanjug.
This would appear to be going beyond the original EMB-approved scope of 1.4 kilometers, thereby necessitating an Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) from the agency.
The ECC outlines the commitments of the project proponent which are necessary for the project to comply with existing environmental regulations or to operate within best environmental practice that are not currently covered by existing laws.
However, after further technical evaluations, the final alignment of the bypass project has been confirmed and that it would only measure 1.4 kilometers, eliminating the need for an ECC.
Consequently, DPWH applied for a Certificate of Non-Coverage (CNC), which is currently under review by the EMB.
A CNC is a document issued by the EMB certifying that, based on the submitted project description, the project is not covered by the Philippine Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) system and is not required to secure an ECC. This covers projects which are not critical to the environment.
Governor Garcia urged for swift action on the CNC application and the lifting of the cease-and-desist order to allow construction to resume, especially that the Dumanjug route is a crucial route for all travelers to and from the busy south-western side of Cebu. | MRM