Agency advises vs. reclamation
DENR 7 Director Montejo suggests piles, not reclamation for proposed port in Consolacion
THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said the proposed 25-hectare reclamation project for the proposed P9 billion international container port in Tayud, Consolacion town, northern Cebu must pass the agency’s scrutiny.
DENR 7 Director Isabelo Montejo said there must be an environmental impact study to determine the reclamation’s effect on the environment.
Montejo said that whoever will be the developer of this project will be required to secure an area clearance from DENR and an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) before any development starts.
Piles
“My advice is not to reclaim but to drive piles to maintain the free movement of the water to prevent damage to the adjacent shorelines,” Montejo said.
Last month at the 888 News Forum in Marco Polo Plaza, Cebu Port Authority (CPA) General Manager Edmund Tan said that the National Economic and Development Authority-Investment Coordinating Council (Neda-ICC) will deliberate on the proposed container port.
Tan said Neda 7 Director Efren Carreon will present and explain the project and if it will pass Neda-ICC scrutiny, it will be endorsed to the Neda full council Chaired by President Rodrigo Duterte for approval.
Coordinate
Tan said that although CPA is an independent body and a government-owned and controlled corporation, they will still coordinate with DENR on the project.
Carreon told Sun.Star Cebu that he will present the proposed financial aspect of the project, which will replace the existing Cebu International Port at the North Reclamation Area to decongest the lingering traffic problem in the cities of Cebu and Mandaue.
Montejo said that if CPA and Neda believe that the proposal will be approved by the Duterte administration, then they should coordinate with the DENR now.
“I suggest not a reclamation but a pier where they can drive piles so that if you drive piles, they will not alter the current of the water at sea and minimize damage in the eco-systems,” Montejo said.
He said that whenever they change the area and obstruct the water current, there is a possibility that the movement of the water will change and affect the shores.
He recalled that it happened in Sta. Fe town in Bantayan Island where the southern part was caved in and the other part expanded through the waves washing away the sand.
My advice is not to reclaim but to drive piles to maintain the free movement of the water to prevent damage to the adjacent shorelines – DENR 7 Director Isabelo Montejo