Ayungon mayor, PPA face Ombud complaint

CEBU, Philippines — For allegedly not acting on the concern of the residents, the mayor of Ayungon, Negros Oriental and the Philippine Port Authority (PPA) are sued before the Office of the Ombudsman-Visayas.

Five hundred six residents of Barangay Calag-calag, in Ayungon town, alleged they were the affected individuals of the private port and reclamation project built by the Silica Resources Corp. (SIRC). in their barangay.

“SIRC has not been responsive to the needs of the community like maintenance of the road damaged by the company’s constant use,” read the complaint.

The affected residents alleged that they raised their concerns to Mayor Edsel Enardecido but he allegedly did not act on it.

“We like to point out that the Mayor of Ayungon has not acted on the concerns we raised against SIRC, which constitutes dereliction and worse, gross neglect of duty,” the complaint further read.

Allegedly, the SIRC proceeded to build the port and did reclamation project in Barangay Calag-calag despite the absence of a Special Use Agreement of Protected Areas (SAPA).

SAPA is an instrument issued to private persons and group that allows them to make productive use of a protected area identified under Republic Act 7586 or the National Integrated Protected Areas System Act.

“We believed that the SAPA regulates the use of protected areas and prevent abuses, in which Mayor Enardecido and the PPA neglect to require SIRC,” they alleged.

The area affected, according to the residents, is within the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape.

Meanwhile, the affected residents who signed the petition said they received information that SIRC had no record of a mining permit at the Mining and Geo-Sciences Bureau-7.

Allegedly, the PPA issued a permit to SIRC allowing the construction of the port project. (FREEMAN)