ANGELES CITY – Interior and Local Governments Sec. Jesse Robredo should at least take a leave of absence in the face of criminal and administrative charges filed last Friday against him and other government officials in regard to the controversial Cordova reclamation project in Cebu.
Fisherfolk alliance Pambansang Lakas ng Kilusang Mamamalakaya ng Pilipinas (Pamalakaya) national chairperson Fernando Hicap told Punto the charges were filed before the Office of the Ombudsman by his alliance’s local chapters in Cebu, led by Panaghugpong sa Gagmayng Mananagat sa Sugbo (Pamana-Sugbo) and Panaghugpong sa mga Mananagat sa Timog-Amihanang Cordova (PAMATIA-CO).
Apart from Robredo, the other respondents were Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia, officials from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, the Philippine Reclamation Authority (PRA) and local government officials involved in the reclamation project in Cordova, a small coastal town in Cebu.
In their 30-page complaint, the complainants alleged that in implementing the reclamation project, Robredo and the other respondents violated Republic Act 10121 or the Disaster Risk-Reduction and Management Act, Republic Act 7160 or the Local Government Code, Republic Act 9845 or the Anti-Red Tape Act, Republic Act 6713 or the Code of Conduct and Ethical Standards for Public Officials and Employees and Republic Act 1059 pertaining to abuse of authority, illegal expenditures of public funds, grave misconduct and grave dereliction of duty.
Pamalakaya said the Cordova reclamation project was supposed to be for the construction of an international airport to replace the Mactan International Airport in Cebu under Pres. Aquino’s Public-Private Partnership (PPP) projects.
The project involved the reclamation of an initial 10 hectares of coastal areas at the cost of P80 million being funded by the Cebu provincial government.
The complainants said affected local folk were never consulted on the project and learned about it only from news reports in December last year. They noted that all of the town’s inhabitants, numbering about 45,066 people, would be severely dislocated by the project.
The complainants also noted that Cordova’s three marine protected areas, including the Gilutongan Marine Sanctuary and the Poblacion-Alegria Marine Sanctuary, would be adversely affected by the reclamation.
“Mangroves, sea grass and corals abound in Cordova. Mangrove can be found in Alegria, Gabi and Ibabao.
Alegria and Poblacion are among the barangays abundant with sea grass. Barangays Poblacion, Alegria were rated to have good coral cover ranging from 52 to 72 percent,” the complainants said.
“We suggest that Robredo resign or take an indefinite leave of absence while the case is pending before the Office of the Ombudsman.
This would be politically, morally and legally correct and necessary to protect truth, justice and objectivity,” Hicap said.
He said that in approving and pushing the Cordova project, the respondents in the Ombudsman case “disregarded and even defied our laws.”
The complainants were backed by environmental lawyer Gloria Ramos of the Philippine Earth Justice Center (PEJC), environmental NGO Fisherfolk Development Center in Central Visayas (Fidec) and Vince Cinches, country coordinator of the climate change group.
