TACLOBAN CITY – Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)-8 Regional Director Edgar Tabacon has temporarily suspended the construction of a seawall on Lalawigan Beach in Borongan City, Eastern Samar.
The order was in response to the city government’s request to halt the project in the interest of the preservation of the Lalawigan Reef which sustained irreparable damage since the beginning of the construction.
"For now, we gave a verbal instruction to the representatives of the contractor to temporarily stop the construction work, then we will again have a dialogue and then decide later on where the alignment of project will be located," Tabacon said.
The suspension also aims to give way to the project’s realignment to mitigate further damage to the reef system, including a consultation with the public regarding the infrastructure.
Tabacon has met Borongan Mayor Jose Ivan Dayan Agda and conducted an inspection of the site with Agda before eventually deciding to suspend the project.
The city government of Borongan opposed the project due to alleged threats to marine biodiversity at Lalawigan Beach, one of the city's top surfing and tourist sites.
Aside from the formal report of the Borongan City Environment and Natural Resources Office to the Community Environment and Natural Resources Office regarding the massive extraction of corals at Lalawigan Beach, a resolution from the Sangguniang Panlungsod of Borongan has also been drafted seeking the temporarily suspension of operations at the beach to make room for realignment and proper coordination with relevant departments.
These include an inspection with relevant departments, a comprehensive biodiversity impact assessment, and the need to furnish documents clearing the project of environmental violations.