More than half of local government units surrounding Manila Bay have failed to comply with environmental laws, the Department of the Interior and Local Government said yesterday.
DILG Secretary Eduardo Año said 95 LGUs or 53 percent of the total 178 LGUs failed to hit the indicators gauging their compliance to existing environmental laws.
Fifty-six LGUs are from Central Luzon, 37 from Calabarzon (Cavite, Laguna, Batangas, Rizal, and Quezon area), and two from the National Capital Region.
The DILG identified these LGUs based on the 2018 Regional Inter-Agency Committee table assessments and on-site inspections.
“There were decades worth of shortcomings that led to the problems of Manila Bay but we are not here to point fingers anymore. We, through the directive of the President, are here to bring back the Bay to its former glory and we need all LGUs to do their part,” Año said in a statement.
He said that 16 of these LGUS were described as having the “worst problems,” noting that they will be given priority by the DILG in providing assistance. (PNA and Chito Chavez)
