By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga
Silay City mayor Mark Andrew Golez said yesterday that 36 resorts, coffee shops and lodging houses along Barangay Patag to Barangay Guimbala-on in Silay City, Negros Occidental are still closed and that their reopening may take some time.
These structures which are considered illegal are located within the protected area of the North Negros Natural Park (NNNP) and have been known as tourist destinations in the city.
They were closed last August 10 after the cease and desist order were issued against them by the city government of Silay for several violations, especially lacking the necessary permits.
Golez revealed yesterday that the owners of the illegal structures have already submitted to the city government their respective Letter of Intent for their application for a Special Use Agreement in the Protected Area of NNNP.
He said he required the owners of the establishments to submit their respective development plan that includes the structural design, drainage plan and other similar plans and designs, Comprehensive Development and Management Plan, and location map and vicinity map.
“Once they comply with these requirements, I will convene the Patag-Guimbalaon Development Plan and we will pass a resolution and submit to PAMB,” Golez pointed out.
He said that once Protected Area Management Board (PAMB) issues a favorable action through a resolution, it will be given back to PGDA so that the necessary permits will be processed.
Golez said that the PAMB has already approved the creation of the Patag-Guimbalaon Development Authority which will assist PAMB on the regulation of the illegal structures at the NNNP.
Golez said the owners of the 36 resorts and establishments constructed the structures without the building permit, occupancy permit, discharge permit, business permit, and that they also do not pay any taxes to the national government or the Republic of the Philippines, so they cannot issue an official receipt for their respective customers.
“They are tourist attractions but they have violations and if we tolerate them this will set a bad precedent to other businesses,” he said.
The mayor said most of the operators and owners have not registered any resistance to the action taken by the city government and in fact most of them wanted their operation to be legal and are asking guidance on how they would be able to do it.
“We have that apprehension that if we don’t regulate them now, the area could be the next Boracay as their waste discharge and garbage disposal would not be regulated,” Golez added./DGB, WDJ