Lawyer Lucille Karen Malilong-Isberto has slammed ports tycoon Enrique Razon Jr. for his "verbal abuse" over her opposition to the construction of a mega vaccination facility at Nayong Pilipino in Parañaque City.

Former Nayong Pilipino Executive Director Lucille Karen Malilong-Isberto (Photo courtesy of Atty. Malilong-Isberto)

"Mr. Razon's verbal abuse will not change the facts, the laws, or the science on environmental management," Malilong-Isberto, the recently-resigned executive director of Nayong Pilipino Foundation (NPF), told the Manila Bulletin in an interview Sunday afternoon, May 9.

"In any case, I have tendered my resignation as trustee of Nayong Pilipino. The President is free to replace me," she said.

A news report came out over the weekend wherein billionaire businessman Razon called the management of the state-run park "idiots" for supposedly prioritizing its preservation instead of making way for the vaccination facility, which would help save thousands of lives from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

It was last month when the Department of Tourism (DOT)--the mother agency of the NPF--first floated the planned walk-in and drive-through immunization site at Nayong Pilipino. Razon's group was supposed to bankroll the facility, which could inoculate up to 12,000 people a day from COVID-19 once operational.

For context, the normal capacity of vaccination sites set up by the National Task Force (NTF) Against Covid-19 is 5,000 vaccinations a day.

In the news report, Razon's remarks make it appear that Nayong Pilipino officials would rather "save the ipil-ipil trees" at the park rather than the people dying in the current pandemic.

But Malilong-Isberto explained that there's more than meets the eye to the issue.

"The land has no septage or sewerage system, no water or electricity connection, no toilets. Why would that be the ideal site for vaccination?" she asked.

There are other considerations too, aside from the questioned practicality of tapping the site for purposes of mass immunization. "We want to ensure that all laws, rules and regulations for use of government land are complied with," she said.

"I have requested the NTF and DOH for information to address governance issues. What government agency will use the land? Who will be vaccinated there? "I understand a technical working group was formed at the National Vaccination Operations Committee of NTF to address these concerns. That is one point that needs to be resolved," Malilong-Isberto said.

"The other issue is the land is within the buffer zone of LPPCHEA, an internationally protected Ramsar site. Environmental considerations apply," the lawyer noted.

LPPCHEA stands for Las Piñas–Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA). As a Ramsar site, the area is designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention.

"All these laws remain in effect and cannot be ignored on the bare claim that the land is needed for vaccination," Malilong-Isberto said.

LPPCHEA is home to a bird sanctuary featuring dozens of migratory bird species from as far as Siberia, as well as 28 hectares of mangroves that are crucial to the marine ecosystem.

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