A business compliance council in El Nido has called for greater transparency in environmental governance, releasing documents it said include official correspondence from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and long-term reports on environmental collections and enforcement activities in the municipality.
The El Nido Business Compliance Council (ENBC) said it is making public a formal transparency letter dated May 19, along with the DENR Regional Office response and related accomplishment reports on environmental fees and protection programs in El Nido.
“We are sharing these documents because we believe the people of El Nido deserve the opportunity to personally review, analyze, and understand matters involving environmental collections, protected area governance, environmental enforcement, and the future of our municipality,” the council said.
The group also noted a discrepancy in the date of the DENR response letter, which it said bore the date “May 18, 2026” despite being received on May 24, while its own request was submitted on May 19.
“At this point, we assume this may simply be a clerical or typographical error unless otherwise clarified by the concerned office,” ENBC said.
According to the council, environmental fees in El Nido—including lagoon fees, eco-tourism charges, and other user-based collections—have been gathered for 27 years since the establishment of the protected area management system in 1998.
Based on the reports it cited, “₱73,271,199.44” in IPAF collections had been recorded as of November 2025, with “₱54,953,399.58” reportedly retained under the Protected Area–Retained Income Account and “₱18,430,299.86” remitted to the National Treasury.
The council also pointed to data indicating the presence of “1,770 commercial establishments,” “6,228 households,” and “171 government facilities and institutions” within the protected area, along with continuing environmental issues such as illegal fishing, mangrove encroachment, sand collection, reclamation activities, and timber poaching.
Coral and seagrass monitoring results cited in the reports showed several areas under “Category C and D” conditions and “poor” to “very poor” classifications in some sites.
While acknowledging DENR and protected area management efforts over the years, the group said stakeholders still seek clarity on long-term fund utilization and enforcement outcomes.
“The reports submitted largely cover only the last three (3) years despite ENTMRPA already operating for twenty-seven (27) years,” the council said.
It also raised questions on the historical use of environmental collections, compliance assistance for businesses, and the timing of intensified enforcement operations.
“If ENTMRPA has already been operating for nearly three decades, why did intensive large-scale enforcement relating to business compliance become highly active only in recent years?” it asked.
The council emphasized that its position is not against environmental protection but calls for stronger transparency, accountability, and stakeholder participation in governance.
“This is not about opposing environmental protection. This is about ensuring that environmental protection is accompanied by transparency, accountability, measurable outcomes, realistic compliance systems, stakeholder participation, fairness, and responsible governance,” it said.
The ENBC said it has made the documents public for residents and stakeholders to review and interpret independently, underscoring that environmental protection should be paired with transparent and accountable management of public resources.
