THE Laguna Lake Development Authority (LLDA) has a huge mandate and responsibility. This attached agency of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is responsible for the preservation, development, and sustainability of the Laguna de Bay and its 21 major tributary rivers.
A big part of LLDA’s revenues come from fees and fines collected from fish pen and fish cage operators in the Laguna Lake itself. But we suppose a bigger portion of their income comes from the added task of maintaining the cleanliness and good water quality of the giant lake’s 21 major river tributaries — which this agency clearly fails to do. They just issue environment clearances and collect money from business establishments within the territorial area of the lake, which is quite a vast territory.
The LLDA collects from business establishments in Sto. Tomas and Malvar, Batangas; Silang, General Mariano Alvarez and Carmona and Tagaytay City; Lucban, Quezon, and the cities of Pasay, Caloocan, Quezon City, Manila, Marikina, Pasig, Taguig, Muntinlupa and Pateros in Metro Manila. All because of the rivers that flow from these places and carry water into the lake.
Recently, the Commission on Audit (COA) called out the Laguna Lake Development Authority over its failure to collect rental and regulatory fees from several aquaculture operators in the lake amounting to P12.68 million last year.
In its annual audit report, the COA said the uncollected fees due to inadequate assessment and collection procedures resulted in loss of funds that could have been used in the operations of LLDA.
The COA said LLDA also failed to collect administrative fines from operators who have exceeded the 20-hectare maximum limit for fish pens under the Laguna de Bay Fishery Zoning and Management Guidelines or ZOMAG, which took effect on July 28, 2020.
Records showed that last year, two fish pen operators exceeded the allocated areas for them, but the LLDA did not impose administrative fines of P30,000.
The COA said the LLDA has yet to collect P1.435 million in administrative fines from other operators who have illegally put up their aqua structures in the Cataquiz Belt.
If the LLDA is a criminal individual, you would justifiably call this entity RECIDIVIST.
The COA said the auditors had told the LLDA in 2018 to monitor delinquent operators on the issuance of aqua structure permits, but this was simply ignored.
Way back in year 2018, this agency failed to collect some P29.46 million in required fees in 2018 from operators of fish pens and fish cages in Laguna de Bay, COA also said. In its annual audit report, the COA said that of the 3,308 fish cage and fish pen owners, only 110 or 3.3 percent paid their dues.
Under existing rules, the LLDA is required to collect P6,000 per hectare covered by fish pens, and P4,200 per hectare occupied by fish cages. If the fees are uncollected, the agency withholds the issuance of annual permits.
“In 2018, it appears that the delinquent operators are continuously operating even without valid Fish Pen Permit and Fish Cage Permit. LLDA has no available list of Delinquent Fish Pen/Fish Cage Operators,” the COA report said.
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