DENR delineates 20 and 40 meters easement of coast lines affected by Yolanda

By: Erlinda Olivia P. Tiu

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte, January 30 (PIA) – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources said that the delineation of the 20 and 40 meters easement along Palo, Leyte to San Juanico Bridge, Tacloban City coastlines covering an estimated length of 35.2 kilometers per marching orders from Environment Secretary Ramon Paje.

Regional Technical Director Ramon S. Unay of the Land Management Bureau Service of DENR disclosed that in compliance to the said order, four teams composed of Geodetic Engineers from the DENR 8 and private sector were created to conduct the survey.

Team 1 was assigned to survey from MacArthur Shrine to Palo Leyte. Team 2 surveyed the Area from MacArthur Shrine to Fisherman’s Village, San Jose, Tacloban City. Team 3 surveyed the area from San Juanico Bridge to Anibong, Tacloban City. Team 4 surveyed the area from Rawis Anibong to Fisherman’s Village, San Jose.

RTD Unay said the objective of delineating the easement of the said coastlines is to enable the local government units covering the said areas to properly plan out the establishment of infrastructure s that are best suited to these calamity torn areas.

The delineated easement shall be marked by the Department of Public Works and Highways. The Philippine National Police was also requested to provide security in the conduct of the survey. The Local Chief executives in Tacloban and Palo, Mayors Alfred Romualdez and Remedios L. Petilla, respectively, both expressed their all- out support to the project.

The delineation of easement is consistent with the provisions of Presidential Decree No. 1067, the Water Code of the Philippines dated December 31, 1976, Presidential Decree 705 or the Forestry Codeof the Philippines and Department Administrative Order No. 2007-29, the Revised Regulations on Land Surveys issued on July 31, 2007.

RTD Unay said that Article 51 of the Water Code of the Philippines states that “The banks of rivers and streams and the shores of the seas and lakes throughout their entire length and within a zone of three meters in urban area, twenty meters in agricultural areas and forty meters in forest areas, along their margins, are subject to the easement of public use in the interest of recreation, navigation, flotage, fishing and salvage or to build structures of any kind. (PIA 8)

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