Keeping the Paradise in Paradise
The people of the Philippines are becoming more concerned about their wonderful environment and there seems to be some growing pains that come with that. The Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) has been put into place in the Philippines to help protect the environment.
Bantayan Island The Paradise of Cebu
There has been a lot of confusion in the courts, the residents and the environment of Bantayan Island. The residents of Bantayan want to protect their Island. As the west discovers the bit of paradise sitting just off the Northern Coast of Cebu Province the chance of it being spoiled by unbridled growth is and should be a concern.
Some are treating the ECC as a permit to develop but that may not be their purpose. Some residents are trying to prevent any more ECC’s being granted while other residents are fearful that if ECC’s are reviewed as some are asking for, their businesses will be shut down.
It appears that some business sought and were granted ECC’s where they were not required. For now, a Judge in Mandaue issued an order preventing any new ECC’s be issued for 15 days and that the parties present clear and concise briefs to her court.
For me, I’m glad to see the Philippines taking active measures to begin to save this wonderful place. There is little wildlife here compared to my home country. I would love to see more.
We all have to evolve and learn. Last night one of the children found a snake. The ya ya’s of the neighborhood over reacted. They called me to kill it but I stopped them from killing it and went to get my camera. When I returned the snake was dead. From what I could tell it was either a baby Reticulated Python that didn’t have its markings yet or a Bronze Back. The Bronze Back is a harmless lizard eating tree snake and I would have captured and kept the Reticulated Python. But years ago I would have reacted the way the ladies here did. Kill it just to be safe. Only after I leaned a lot more about snakes did my attitude toward them change.
Tagged with: Bantayan Island • Living in Cebu • Philippine Environment
Filed under: Philippine Government
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Hi, I am planning to move to bantayan island on Dec. 10th. I have had no luck finding a house to rent. Could use some help. Need at least 2 bedrooms in santa fe or bantayan city. Will consider buying in a year. Thanks, Jerry
theres plenty of place and easy to find to rent will cost like 5000-15000 a month
I am unable to provide much help there. A lot of folks will hang out at a resort until they find a place they want to live. Your chances of finding something once you get to the island will go up but if you can’t find anything check out Skip’s Resort in Danbantayan, I think I spelled that right. That’s were most people grab a boat to Bantayan Island.
Let us know how it goes!
No Building Permits Being Issued on Bantayan Island
I met this morning with the mayor of Santa Fe Municipality and the Zoning supervisor regarding our pending building permit on Bantayan Island. We have already submitted complete and engineered building plans and have met all the requirements for a building permit. Even so, no permit will be issued.
Mr. Jeffrey Zamora, the Zoning supervisor explained the situation to us as follows:
As a result of Judge Marilyn Lagura-Yap’s ruling MDE-182 last year, dealing with the intrusion of several structures beyond the 20 meter water boundary, the entire island of Bantayan will NOT issue any building permits for any structure closer than 100 meters to the shore.
Even though the intent of Judge Lagura-Yap’s ruling was to prevent structures from being built closer than 20 meter, the governing authority on Bantayan Island, out of fear, has greatly extended that intent. At present there are more than 20 building permits that are on hold until Judge Lagura-Yap clarifies and defines what the restriction will be.
Already two large investors have withdrawn their intent to invest in Bantayan Island due to this impasse. Many such as my family, have their entire life’s fortune invested in property that is now useless as a result of Judge Marilyn Lagura-Yap’s decision.
Whether or not these terrible consequences were the intention of the judge, we do not know. For more than a year no clarification on the ruling has been handed down. With more than 20 building permits being on hold, so also are the lives of the family members who wait for the Judge to define her ruling. Also in peril are the people of the island of Bantayan who are suffering financially as a result of the the impasse.
I believe that the Zoning supervisor, Mr. Zamora is a good an honorable man who is simply trying to do his job. He will not sign off on the building plans of any beach front property because his fear is that if he does so, it may jeopardize his job in the future. Mr. Zamora concedes that the appearance of the judge’s ruling is to protect the 20 meter boundary, but because the judge did not define her intent, the zoning department supervisor for Santa Fe Municipality will not take the chance and issue a building permit on any beach front property.
Can anyone blame him? I certainly do not.
The fault here lies with a ruling that does not define for those who have the task of carrying out the judge’s orders. No one really knows what the intent of the judge is, that is why there is wide-spread fear on Bantayan Island to issue any permits at all.
Is is my hope and prayer that Judge Lagura-Yap will read this article and realize that her ruing designed to protect the people and Island of Bantayan is currently causing them hardship and harm.
Rob and Marissa Robinson
Residents and Property Owners on Bantayan Island
Hi Rob, yes, I’ve been following that story for a couple of years. Beginning with the tearing down of structures owned by expats or perhaps their wives.
You probably know that Senator Benhur has introduced legislation intended to ease property restriction on Bantayan. The article I read didn’t address the building issues but it would seem that reclassifying it as “disposable” instead of “protected” (I think those are the terms they use) would make it easier to build there. When I read the story a few years ago and saw that one of the prosecutors involved in the case used the term “especially foreigners” when referring to these kind of resorts and structures, that sent a clear message as far as I was concerned. The only conclusion I could draw from that was that investing in the Philippines as a foreigner has hazards that I wouldn’t be willing to make as long as that is the kind of thinking that is openly expressed. I make no judgement on the thinking, Filipino have the right to run their country the way they wish.
Still lots of foreign investment here. I do want Bantayan Island protected though. Don’t get me wrong. I’d hate to see it turn into Boracay but then I don’t get my lively hood from there. If I was a Filipino living there, I might very well see it different. I’m not though.
When I first read of the action a few years back, I was horrified. I was afraid all the beach resorts would just go away. I’m still worried about some of my favorite places. I have a Filipino friend that owns a resort there. I’d hate to see anything happen to it. I know they have a grandfather clause but the terms of that are not very clear to me/
Rob, I don’t know if you’re doing my site or your site any harm by posting the same content on both sites. I wouldn’t do it.