Business owners in El Nido should secure their Strategic Environmental Plan (SEP) clearances first as a requirement before they are issued their licenses and permits.
Jovic Fabello, spokesperson of the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS), said Wednesday they should never be issued any permit to operate unless they have secured their SEP clearances.
He said to remedy the situation, they have already sent a team to the town to assist the business owners through the “SEP Clearance Express Permitting” event.
Fabello said it is their response to the announcement of the local government that it will not issue business permits to the applicants without securing the SEP clearance.
“Gusto ko pong paalalahanan at imbitahin ang mga gustong mag-negosyo pa o ‘yong mga may negosyo na wala pang SEP clearance na nasa lugar ng munisipyo ng El Nido. Nandiyan ang ating team ngayon para i-proseso ‘yong inyong mga permits na kinakailangan,” he said.
El Nido is giving local businessmen until the end of March to secure the clearance for the release of 2019 business permits.
The SEP Clearance Express Permitting started on February 18, and will last until February 22.
Fabello said majority of the business establishments in El Nido are hotels and restaurants that are in multiple-use zones which should fall under “simple transaction”.
The first procedure, he said, is the “application for the Environmentally Critical Areas Network (ECAN) zoning certification.”
The requirements in the first procedure are the following: location map, copy of land title or any tenurial instrument, filled up form for project description, and a P200 payment.
“Ito ay para sa application lang for ECAN zoning certification. Ito ay nagsasabi na ang proyekto mo ay nasa tamang zone na under ng ECAN Zone,” he said.
The second part, he explained, is the application for SEP clearance which requires a project evaluation report of PCSD’s district management office; Project Environmental Assessment Report (PEAR); proof of application for ECAN Board endorsement; ECAN zoning certification with map and title; proof of applications for the barangay and Sangguniang Bayan endorsement; proof of application for the Sangguniang Panlalawigan endorsement (when the project location is outside the municipal waters but within the jurisdiction of PCSD), and a certificate of no pending case
“Ito po ay dahil na rin sa panawagan ng lokal na pamahalaan ng El Nido kung saan [ay] hindi sila magbibigay ng mayor’s permit kung walang SEP clearance. Kaya minabuti namin na pumunta na diyan para matulungan kayo na mag-process… hindi niyo na po kailangang pumunta sa Puerto, nandiyan na po ang team ng PCSD para asikasuhin ‘yong inyong mga kailangang papeles at permits na manggagaling sa amin,” Fabello said.
