Ebdane to tighten rules on building in Zambales coastal danger zones

Iba, Zambales – Governor Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. is set to enforce stricter policies on the construction of infrastructures on coastal areas that are deemed as danger zones in Zambales.

During a live report on August 14, Ebdane cited that he will be directing the mayors of coastal areas that have danger zones to be strict on issuing business permits and make sure that the process and procedures will be followed.

The statement came in light of the recent destruction of infrastructures near the coastal areas of Zambales due to heavy rainfall.

“Before any construction is done on the site, they must possess the title of the land and also the business permit. No title, no building permit, no business permit,” he said.

He added, “We are not doing this in reaction to them, but we are doing this to protect them from harm.”

Last month, resorts in Barangay Liwliwa in San Felipe were destroyed due to coastal erosion. People were quick to point out that the reason for the said coastal erosion was due to dredging being done in the three river systems in Zambales.

The Governor reported that based on the MGB3 data, accretion which has extended towards the sea by more done a kilometer along the Sto Nin̈o  shoreline in San Felipe totaled to about 240 hectares, had partially eroded leading to severe damages on illegal structures built along the shoreline on unstable strip of land.'

But the Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MBG) said that dredging did not cause the coastal erosion in Barangay Liwliwa, adding that there was already coastal erosion before dredging. The MGB cited that most of the coastline in Zambales was once part of the sea before the Mt. Pinatubo eruption.

Governor Ebdane said that these areas that were once part of the sea are considered as danger zones.

“Way back in 1977, the original shoreline near the Sto. Tomas river was nearer to the road. In the year 2004, with the cascading lahar, the accretion has progressed by half kilometer, and by 2024 from the original coastline, the accretion has progressed by one and a half kilometers,” he added.

“But mind you, these are danger zones,” adding that these danger zones are illegally possessed by people. “And anything that is illegally acquired are not supposed to be given the necessary permit to operate,” he said.

The government has prohibited people from entering these danger zones. Due to the influx of people, the government was unable to control the entry not only from locals, but also from people outside the province who want to invest there.