‘Unlawful’ shoreline swim pool construction stopped

PANGLAO, BOHOL , Philippines  – What was supposedly a verification by the Maritime Police Office about a digging near the shoreline, reportedly for a treasure hunt, had led instead to a discovery of a construction of a swimming pool by the coast amid mangrove trees.

The construction of the heart-shape swimming pool right at the shoreline at sitio Binlod, barangay Looc in this premier tourist town was going on in the afternoon of Dec. 18, was initially seen as illegal due to lack of documents shown to authorities during the discovery.

Officer-in-charge Leonilo Lafuente of the Bohol Environment Management Office (BEMO), Insp Jose Los Baños and Bohol National Museum curator Mr. Charlemeine Tantingco caught red handed two men, one of whom was known only as Boy Becharia, working on the swimming pool project.

They told the workers to stop their work if they could not present appropriate documents to support the construction.

Asked if the owner was in the house, about few meters away from where the construction was going on, Becharia said his boss, a certain Ernie Zafra had gone to town. After a while, Zafra arrived and talked to the inspecting team.

Zafra. who is a resident here, said Becharia was a resident of Clarin town, but the other worker disappeared during the inspection.

Zafra told the inspecting team that he has already consulted the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), led by forester Nestor Canda, OIC of the DENR provincial office, regarding the project, saying he has from the environment official a checklist for requirements of the project.

Lafuente replied that still the swimming pool has encroached into the prohibited 20-30 meter salvage zone and that the start of its construction was still inappropriate because Zafra has yet to get the approval for his application for foreshore lease.

Zafra is also under fire following his alleged banning of fishermen from mooring their fishing boats at the shoreline where the swimming pool is located. He however denied this, saying he did not deprive the fishermen of their livelihood, although the latter said otherwise.  (FREEMAN)