ENVIRONMENTAL USER FEE

SYSTEM OF PUERTO GALERAISSUES, CONCERNS

AND THE PGBTEA ADVOCACY

KNOWLEDGE IS POWER

AS TAXPAYER, WE MUST NOT JUST BE PASSIVE

OBSERVERS BUT WE MUST PLAY AN ACTIVE ROLE IN

HOW PUBLIC FUNDS ARE BEING SPENT BY OUR

ELECTED OFFICIALS. AND WHEN WE ARE

KNOWLEDGEABLE OF WHAT IS GOING ON THEN WE

DECIDE AND ACT BETTER - AND THAT MAKES US

POWERFUL.

EVERYBODY KNOWS THE EUF

• THE HIGHLIGHTS WILL BE DISCUSSED

• GO DIRECT TO OUR ADVOCACY WHICH WE HOPE

WILL ALSO BE YOUR ADVOCACY

• SAAN BA NAGSIMULA ANG EUF? HOW DID IT START?

• PEMSEA-WWF CAME TO TOWN – 2004 TO 2007

• TO HELP PG PROTECT AND PRESERVE OUR NATURAL

RESOURCES ESPECIALLY THE MARINE

ENVIRONMENT FROM FURTHER DETERIORATION

AND DESTRUCTION.

• THE MOST IMMEDIATE AND MOST CRITICAL

PROBLEM WAS THE COASTAL POLLUTION IN THE

SABANG AREA.

SABANG COASTAL POLLUTION

• COLIFORM

CONTAMINATION

HAS REACHED

CRITICAL LEVEL

• NEED AN SWTP TO

SOLVE THE PROBLEM

• THE LGU HAS NO

FUNDS FOR THE

PROJECT

SO THEY ENACTED THE EUF ORDINANCE

• THE EUF WAS COPIED FROM THE EUF OF A DIVE SITE

IN THE MUNICIPALITY OF ANILAO, BATANGAS.

• HOWEVER IN PUERTO GALERA, INSTEAD OF 1

TOURIST ATTRACTION, THE APPLICATION OF THE EUF

WAS FOR THE ENTIRE TOWN.

• INSTEAD OF BEING SITE-SPECIFIC; IT BECAME

MUNICIPAL-WIDE WHICH TRIGGERED

COMPLICATIONS IN ITS IMPLEMENTATION LATER

• THE EUF WAS TO BE THE PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE

OF THE SWTP AND OTHER ENVIRONMENTAL

PROBLEMS - NOT AT THAT MOMENT BEING

ADDRESSED BY THE LGU DUE TO LACK OF FUNDS

THE CRMB TO MANAGE THE EUF, BUT…

• THE ALLOCATION WAS TO BE RECOMMENDED BY THE CRMB, COMPOSED OF INDIVIDUALS FROM THE PRIVATE SECTOR WHO PRESUMABLY LOVE THE ENVIRONMEN. THE CRMB RECOMMENDS, THE SB WILL APPROVE AND THE MAYOR WILL IMPLEMENT.

• SO WHAT WILL HAPPEN IF THE CRMB IS A RUBBERSTAMP, THE SB ALSO A RUBBERSTAMP… WHATEVER THE MAYOR WANTS, HE GETS… THE EUF BECAME AN EXTRA SOUCE OF FUNDING FOR WHATEVER SO-CALLED ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS THAT THE MAYOR WANTS.

• HOW MUCH WAS ALLOCATED FOR THE MAIN REASON WHY THE EUF WAS CREATED = THE SWTP OF SABANG = ZERO.

In a nutshell – EUF Collection to Disbursement

Tourist 50 pesos MTO

Trust fundCRMB

recommendsSB approves

MD implements

MD is CRMB

MD is SB

Then Came the MD CONSORTIUM

• IN 2008, THE MAYOR SIGNED AN AGREEMENT WITH THE

CONSORTIUM TO BUILD AN SWTP WORTH MORE THAN 100

MILLION PESOS. THAT AMOUNT MIGHT HAVE ALREADY

DOUBLED BY 2015.

• THE CONSORTIUM WANTED TO BE SURE THAT THE LGU

CAN PAY THE LOAN THAT WILL FINANCE THE PROJECT

AND THAT IT WILL BORROW IN BEHALF OF THE LGU.

• SO THEY DEMANDED THAT THE SANGGUNIANG BAYAN

INCREASE THE EUF FROM 50 TO 120 PESOS PER TOURIST.

THE SB DESPITE PROTEST FROM MANY SECTORS ACCEDED

AND AMENDED THE EUF ORDINANCE. THIS ORDINANCE

HAS NOT BEEN IMPLEMENTED AND HENCE NO SWTP

CONSTRUCTION HAS STARTED.

AFTER 6 YEARS, NO SWTP, NO WATER

• THE CONSORTIUM HAS REMAINED SILENT AND IT

HAS NOT STARTED THE SWTP AS WELL AS THE

WATERSYSTEM REHABILITATION AND

CONSTRUCTION

• THE COASTAL POLLUTION REMAINS UNABATED,

UNSOLVE AND NO ONE SEEMS TO CARE – WRONG –

PGBTEA CARES, WE CARE

• TED FAILON CAME AND LAMBASTED THE MD AND

OTHER PUBLIC OFFICIALS FOR THEIR INACTION

• THE DENR HAS THREATENED TO CLOSE SABANG

BEACH IF THE COASTAL POLLUTION CONTINUE TO

DETERIORATE. WE NEED TO ACT NOW.

PGBTEA GOT HOLD OF THE COA REPORT

• We learned of so many irregularities and possible illegal acts

committed by the MD, Sangguniang Bayan Members and other Local

Officials.

• Millions of pesos are missing from the EUF Collection that were

probably taken by the EUF Collectors

• EUF tickets were being printed by private printers and not

government printer, contrary to COA, DILG MCs.

• COA SAID: The printing of EUF tickets by private printing

establishments subjects the integrity of the EUF system at risk.

Unscrupulous individuals could easily forge and falsify the tickets

that will result to losses of government revenues. This could be

prevented since the forms printed by authorized government printer

have enough built-in security features that are difficult to imitate.

More FINDINGS from COA REPORT

• The COA noted that – there were expenditures that were not

authorized objects of expenditures duly approved by the

Sangguniang Bayan per recommendation by the CRMB which

could be tantamount to MALVERSATION OF PUBLIC

FUNDS

• The COA further said - the Municipality to strictly observe that

all expenditures from the EUF collections are related to the

authorized projects as mandated by Section 8 of Municipal

Ordinance No. 06-03 otherwise known as the Puerto Galera

Environmental Users’ Fee System Ordinance

WHAT WAS THE REACTION OF THE LGU

• TRANSFER THE EUF FROM THE TRUST FUND TO THE

GENERAL FUND – THEY WILL DO THIS BY AMENDING

THE EUF ORDINANCE

• NOT AMENDMENT BUT TOTAL REPEAL, BECAUSE THE

TRUST FUND ARRANGEMENT IS VITAL TO THE

ORDINANCE. THE EUF WAS MEANT FOR

ENVIRONMENTAL PROJECTS AND NOT TO PAY THE

SALARIES OF MUNICIPAL OFFICIALS

• OUR NATURAL RESOURCES, NATURAL ATTRACTIONS

CONTINUE TO DETERIORATE AND THERE ARE NO

SOLUTIONS BEING DONE FOR THE COASTAL

POLLUTION OF SABANG AND OTHER AREAS

THE EUF UNDER MD IS A FAILURE

• WE NEED TO ASK THE COURT FOR A TRO VERSUS THE EUF

COLLECTION OF THE MUNICIPALITY TO STOP THE

ILLEGAL/IMMORAL ACTS BEING COMMITTED

• WE NEED TO LOBBY FOR THE AMENDMENT OF THE EUF

(AND CRMB) ORDINANCE SO THAT THE MISTAKES DONE IN

THE PAST CAN BE RECTIFIED (120 EUF ORDINANCE) AND

THAT A NEW SYSTEM CAN BE INSTALLED WHICH WOULD

MAKE THE EUF MORE TRUE TO ITS PURPOSE.

• INSTEAD OF MUNICIPAL-WIDE, MAKE IT SITE SPECIFIC

• EDUCATE THE CONCERNED OFFICIALS ON WHY WE HAVE

AN EUF SYSTEM IN PUERTO GALERA. IT IS NOT AN ATM

FOR BRGY PROJECTS BUT IT WAS MEANT TO SOLVE

PROBLEMS ALREADY IDENTIFIED…

WHAT CAN THE RIGHT EUF SYSTEM DO?

• IT CAN SOLVE THE COASTAL POLLUTION OF SABANG

• IT CAN SOLVE THE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS OF

WHITE BEACH

• IT CAN SOLVE THE DESTRUCTION OF OUR TOURIST

SITES LIKE THE MOST BEAUTIFUL BAYS, THE CORAL

GARDEN

• IT WILL PREVENT DOUBLE TAXATION AND OVER

TAXATION

• IT WILL PREVENT GRAFT AND CORRUPTION

• WE DESERVE A BETTER PUERTO GALERA AND WE

WILL HAVE A BETTER PUERTO GALERA.

OUR ADVOCACY

• PUT A STOP TO THE CURRENT, DEFECTIVE EUF THAT IS HARMING THE TOURIST INDUSTRY AND HAD BECOME A MAGNET (AND SOURCE) FOR GRAFT AND CORRUPTION

• INSTALL A SITE-SPECIFIC, CORRECT EUF SYSTEM WHICH IS TRUE TO ITS PURPOSE, CAN EASILY BE MANAGED AND IMPLEMENTED, CAN PLUG-UP LEAKAGES AND WHICH IS SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE.

• ESTABLISH A NEW CRMB – COMPOSED OF INDIVIDUALS WHO LOVE THE ENVIRONMENT AND NOT POLITICAL APPOINTEES

• ALL THIS CAN BE DONE BY AN EFFECTIVE LOBBY GROUP, LIKE THE PGBTEA WITH YOUR SUPPORT

MARAMING SALAMAT PO!WE DESERVE A BETTER PUERTO GALERA!