No grounds to stop condo project in Subic - SBMA exec
SUBIC BAY FREEPORT, Philippines - Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) administrator Armando Arreza said Tuesday he is willing to shed light on the 22-storey condo project by Hanjin Heavy Industries Corp (HHIC), insisting that there are no grounds to stop the project.
Arreza stressed that under the circumstances, this was the "best use of land" for the former assembly and unassembly of weapons (AUW) area left by the US military in 1991.
"This area was previously used for conversion of second hand vehicles, which is more of an environment risk. Under our current zoning guidelines, the Cubi-Triboa area is a residential area, and is a better fit for the environment," Arreza said in a news conference.
Over the weekend, the SBMA came under fire from several senators for allowing the project, including from administration Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who chairs the Senate committee on urban planning, housing and resettlement.
Zubiri had described the two-tower condo project as "shot with environmental violations."
But SBMA ecology center manager Ameth Dela Llana-Koval maintained that the project was issued an environmental compliance certificate (ECC), and the same passed the environmental laws of the country.
"We meticulously monitored and oversaw the entire project from the start. Despite the size of the project, only 28 non-prime specie tree were affected and were replaced by 25:1 ratio of new trees," Dela Llana-Koval said.
Zubiri said he will seek an investigation of Hanjin as well as the reported dismissal of SBMA and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) officials who allowed the destruction of the Subic rainforest.
Modern waste facility
In the same news briefing, Arreza said the the $20 million condo project was built on a pre-existing developed area and will have a state of the art solid waste and waste water treatment facility.
"All lands in Subic are protected, but in varying degrees. Under our management plan, this area may be used for residential purposes and the core ecological zone, which are the no-touch, no development area is more than 2 kilometers away," Arreza explained. - JOHN BAYARONG, GMANews.TV
Arreza stressed that under the circumstances, this was the "best use of land" for the former assembly and unassembly of weapons (AUW) area left by the US military in 1991.
"This area was previously used for conversion of second hand vehicles, which is more of an environment risk. Under our current zoning guidelines, the Cubi-Triboa area is a residential area, and is a better fit for the environment," Arreza said in a news conference.
Over the weekend, the SBMA came under fire from several senators for allowing the project, including from administration Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri, who chairs the Senate committee on urban planning, housing and resettlement.
Zubiri had described the two-tower condo project as "shot with environmental violations."
But SBMA ecology center manager Ameth Dela Llana-Koval maintained that the project was issued an environmental compliance certificate (ECC), and the same passed the environmental laws of the country.
"We meticulously monitored and oversaw the entire project from the start. Despite the size of the project, only 28 non-prime specie tree were affected and were replaced by 25:1 ratio of new trees," Dela Llana-Koval said.
Zubiri said he will seek an investigation of Hanjin as well as the reported dismissal of SBMA and Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) officials who allowed the destruction of the Subic rainforest.
Modern waste facility
In the same news briefing, Arreza said the the $20 million condo project was built on a pre-existing developed area and will have a state of the art solid waste and waste water treatment facility.
"All lands in Subic are protected, but in varying degrees. Under our management plan, this area may be used for residential purposes and the core ecological zone, which are the no-touch, no development area is more than 2 kilometers away," Arreza explained. - JOHN BAYARONG, GMANews.TV
Labels: Armand C. Arreza, condominium towers, ecology, hanjin, hhic, sbma
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