DENR clarifies issues regarding Pangasinan project

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau would like to make some important clarifications relative to the commentary of Antonio Calipjo Go (“Incompetence also a face of corruption,” Opinion, 4/13/15), which was a reaction to an article titled “DENR exec says 3-km wall in Lingayen ‘natural’” (Across the Nation, 3/14/15).

The articles referred to the proposed 38-hectare, 18-hole Lingayen Golf Course and Country Club Project of the Pangasinan provincial government. This is situated in three barangays, namely Sabayan, Estanza and Malimpuec in Lingayen. Presidential Proclamation No. 1258, issued on June 22, 1998, declared the area reserved for ecotourism and other sustainable projects of the province of Pangasinan. The golf course project is one of the major components of the Pangasinan Ecotourism Area. This was granted an environmental compliance certificate by the EMB in January 2013.

On the statement allegedly made by EMB-Environmental Impact Assessment division chief, Michael Drake P. Matias, as reported by the Inquirer in its March 14, 2015 issue, please be informed that he was not interviewed on the matter at any time.

Finally, on the issue of black sand extraction: Based on the report of our EMB Region 1 office, there was indeed a stockpile of black sand and this actually came from some areas of the proposed golf course. The local government supposedly wants to replace the black sand with garden soil to allow turf grass to grow instead, as part of the golf course development. The DENR’s Mines and Geosciences Bureau issued on March 10, 2015, an order to confiscate this material for inventory and proper disposal.

—JONAS R. LEONES, undersecretary, Department of Environment and Natural Resources; concurrent director, Environmental Management Bureau

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My article was based on a recording of the meeting attended by lawyer Drake Matias, EMB Region 1 director Ma. Victoria Abrera and provincial government representatives when they came to Lingayen, Pangasinan, to inspect the ecotourism site following a complaint of a resident.

In the meeting, Matias said: “May ECC naman … Natural lang yung nakita na fence. Natural lang na i-protect yung area kasi may golf course development doon (With an ECC… the fence seen there is natural. It’s natural to protect the area because there’s a golf course development there).”

And yes, I also quoted Director Abrera, who said in the meeting that they noticed the stockpile of black sand and that it was under the care of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau.

—GABRIEL CARDINOZA, Inquirer Northern Luzon