Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia (Photo courtesy of Sugbo News)
Garcia’s EO No. 12 series of 2023 states that the illegal structures were discovered during an inventory conducted by the Badian Municipal Environment and Natural Resources Office (MENRO).
“It has been discovered that these illegal structures have either been abandoned, unoccupied, or rendered obsolete by the onslaught of Super Typhoon Odette last 16 December 2021, thereby causing unsightly and hazardous nuisances thereon in violation of the policies laid down in Republic Act No. 9593 or the Tourism Act of 2009,” read of portion of the governor’s EO.
In another inventory made by MENRO and Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO Capitol), they found out that the said structures also violated Presidential Decree No. 1067, which promotes the Water Code of the Philippines, and Cebu Provincial Ordinance No. 2021-01, otherwise known as the Water Code of the Province of Cebu, which acknowledges the simplicity of public use when no structures of any type are allowed to be built and it is intended for pleasure, navigation, fishing, and other uses.
In its report dated February 17, 2023, MENRO and PENRO said the abandoned huts and metal spikes around Kawasan Falls were deemed dangerous for both local and foreign tourists.
As a result, Badian Mayor Carmencita Lumain requested assistance from the Capitol to destroy the illegal buildings.
Under Section 16 of the Local Government Code, each local government unit is required to manage effectively and efficiently for the benefit of the majority of the people. (PAC, TPT)
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