PANGLAO. – The high-end 159-room Bellevue Resort located in barangay Doljo of this tourist town has complied with the prescribed rules, according to the report of the Special Task Force (STF) created by Gov. Edgar Chatto.  But Panglao resident Agustin Cloribel of this town, who earlier raised environmental concerns on the resort’s alleged violations, appeared not contented with the findings of the STF.  The report has detailed its findings as an offshoot of the ocular inspection conducted on the resort site last month even as it pointed out that the resort “has an Environmental Compliance Certificate.” The (ECC) No. 070608-140160402 was issued on August 14, 2006 by OIC regional director Alan Arranguez of the regional Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the DENR region 7 as recommended by William P. Cuñado, chief, Environmental Impact Assessment division.

Citing the Water Code of the Philippines, the Special Task Force also said that the resort complied with the 20-meter (salvage) zone. The resort also conformed with the height of the building requirement, said the task force resort addressed to the governor and furnished to Cloribel.  The report also said that two roads are located on both sides of the resort “opened to the public” and “free from any obstruction.” But it did not dwell so much on it (road) considering that a case is still pending with the court.  The report was signed by task force members lawyers Kathy Blanche Borja-Jamila of the provincial legal office (PLO); Romeo Teruel, head,  Panglao Island Tourism Estate-Review and Development Committee (PITE-REDCoM); forester Nestor Canda, OIC, Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR); and Ma. Fe Dominise, head, Bohol Investment Promotion Center (BIPC).

 The resort considered as high-end sits on a 16,329,650 square-meter lots covered by TCT numbers 33569 and 33570 for 159 guest rooms.   The five-storey resort fronting the stretch of white powdery sand has already secured all the necessary licenses, except for the occupancy permit, said Mayor Benedicto Alcala.  The mayor, earlier, said that the allegations are unfounded and politically motivated peddled by his political nemesis. He’s apparently referring to his Vice-Mayor Evangeline Bon-Lazaro, who is eyeing for mayor against him. And indeed the vice-mayor has filed her certificate of candidacy (COC) for mayor.

Rebut

Cloribel last Friday’s interview has refuted the findings of the STF report.  He said that even the resort has been issued ECC but this (ECC) is for certain facility or building. But the other buildings or structure that annexed to the main building should have been issued another or separate ECC.  On the salvage zone, Cloribel insisted that it’s not only 20-meter as salvage zone by 30-meter pursuant to Panglao Municipal Ordinance No. 7, series of 1998, “An Ordinance Adopting Rules and Regulations Governing the Activities of Panglao Island Tourism Estate (PITE), approved on October 19, 1998 and signed by then Mayor Toribio L. Bon and then Vice-Mayor now incumbent Mayor Benedicto Alcala. Also, Cloribel found the report of the STF having missed the point of the height of the 5-storey building that allegedly violates the said Ordinance. He cited the following provision Section 1 (2) of Rule V (Development Densities) of said Ordinance, “Only low density structures are to be allowed to be constructed in the beach zone while medium and high densities may be allowed in inland zone.”  Density requirements are required “to ensure the carrying capacity for the environment will not be exceeded, the concept of gross density may be followed. This refers to the number of rooms that will be allowed to be built within a given zone or area: high density --- 80 rooms per hectares; medium density--- 45 rooms per hectare; and low density ---15 rooms per hectare,” the Ordinance provides.