The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will implement a “no contact” apprehension against companies that operate sans the necessary permits under the environmental impact system (EIS) law.
This was disclosed by DENR Undersecretary for Integrated Science Carlos Primo David at the sidelines of the Nickel Initiative event organized by the Philippine Nickel Industry Association Inc. in Makati City on Tuesday.
David, who also heads the DENR’s Geospatial Database Office (GDO) and Water Resource Management Office (WRMO), revealed that they were able to detect erring companies that operate without proper permits, based on DENR records.
He said the GDO is working by using cost-efficient surveillance and monitoring technologies, such as satellite imagery and monitoring applications that are already being used by the DENR.
For industries, he said, the GDO, which is presently an 11-member team led by him, is working on 25 different uses of satellite imagery and even drone technologies.
Specifically, the GDO was created to map and monitor the natural resources of the Philippines, including mining and forestry, use of government lands, and industries in terms of compliance to various environmental laws, including securing environmental compliance certificates (ECCs).
“There are 237 industries so far, just in Region IV-A pa lang,” said David.
He added that by a conservative estimate, around 3,000 companies might be operating without permits.
“We will do no-contact apprehension DENR style. We will send a letter informing them that we do not have on record [of their permit]. If they do not respond, we will issue a notice of violation,” David said.
The GDO is also working on surveillance and monitoring of compliance, and rehabilitation.
“We captured illegal mining operations in Cagayan de Oro; and in Region 3, a mining company that has not rehabilitated their area,” David, a geologist and expert in environmental science, said.
“Before we cannot do that [but] now, using available technologies, we are able to do that without actually going to the site,” he explained.
According to David, the resources required in surveillance and monitoring being done by the GDO, which also maps out water resources that include idle government lands, and degraded forest areas, is not expensive.
In fact, the GDO only has an allotted budget of P3 million, which cover the salaries of his staff including seven of his former students from UP who are now geologists, themselves.