
By The Star Staff
Designated Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) Secretary Waldemar Quiles Pérez on Tuesday denied allegations he tried to bend the law to benefit the governor’s in-laws when he signed an executive order legalizing their home in a protected area of La Parguera, a coastal sector of Lajas.
During a committee meeting, senators questioned Quiles about the executive order he signed, which opponents of Gov. Jenniffer González Colón’s administration interpret as favoritism toward her in-laws. The controversy has been ongoing since the previous administration regarding a booth they operate in La Parguera.
Quiles stated that the administrative order was on his desk when he took office on Jan. 9. He claimed to have spent two hours reviewing the document, which was drafted by agency attorney Samuel Acosta at the request of then-acting Secretary Robert Méndez. Quiles emphasized that he followed the proper procedures and rejected accusations of attempting to protect the governor’s in-laws.
“Some people have tried to suggest that I signed this Administrative Order to favor private individuals, questioning my motives and attacking my integrity, ability, and honesty,” he said. “For the record, this Administrative Order is intended to partially implement Senate Bill No. 1621, which received bipartisan approval. Some senators present even voted in favor of it, and it was approved by the Legislative Assembly before being sent to the former governor for his signature.”
Quiles argued that the accusations against him are unfounded, saying that his actions are solely meant to address a longstanding institutional effort to tackle an environmental emergency that has been stagnant due to a lack of decisive action. With over 20 years of military experience, he said, he is accustomed to taking prompt and concrete actions. Accordingly, he reviewed the relevant files and documents, and, guided by his training, made swift and decisive decisions to overcome inertia.
Quiles then discussed the historical challenges facing La Parguera, which has been subjected to anthropogenic activities adversely affecting its natural resources. Some of the ongoing issues include:
1. Illegal tour operators
2. Illegal fishing
3. Unauthorized marine events
4. Indiscriminate cutting of mangroves
5. Illegal construction
6. Impacts on wetlands
The designated environmental secretary noted that Administrative Order 2025-01 establishes stricter controls over activities in the area, with several key objectives: to halt construction outside designated areas and prohibit new construction.
For decades, various secretaries have discussed the necessity of imposing order in La Parguera and have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in efforts that yielded little benefit to the area’s natural resources.
“However, under our administration, for the first time, we have taken decisive actions to curb illegal construction and other activities threatening the ecological integrity of the area,” Quiles said. “In fact, this is the first time that vendors will be required to pay for the use of public domain property.”
The five-year concession period for vendors, along with the specification of occupied areas and the initial controls implemented, will provide the time needed to develop a management plan, he added. The La Parguera Management Plan will be based on the best available scientific information and will involve a participatory process that includes collaboration from local communities, scientists and experts in the field, the official said. It will receive funding from federal resources allocated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration specifically for the conservation efforts, he said.
“This funding will enable us to undertake sustainable and effective actions to preserve the area’s natural resources,” Quiles said.
He went on to note that Administrative Order 2025-01 will help in the following areas:
1. Control of Unauthorized Tourist Operations: Enhanced measures will be implemented to prevent tourism companies from operating without the necessary permits in accordance with Regulation 8013 (Regulation for the Administration of Exploitation by Authorization and Concession in Natural Protected Areas).
2. Eradication of Illegal Fishing and Overfishing: Surveillance strategies will be intensified by DNER rangers to reduce poaching activities that threaten marine resources and overfished species (pursuant to Act No. 278 of Nov. 29, 1998, as amended, known as the Puerto Rico Fisheries Act).
3. Prevention of Pollutant Discharges: Efforts will be made to identify sources of pollutant discharges to help outline an intervention plan aimed at preventing pollution.
Unfortunately for the NPP new governor, the designated Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) Secretary Waldemar Quiles Pérez seem to be on the periphery of La Parguera issue which place him in an extremely difficult situation to juggle successfully. Probably, Mr. Quiles Pérez wasn't aware of the issue's complications in particular when it gives the appearance that he's protecting not the governor, but a third party closely associate with her.
What's publicly known is that after accepting the nomination, he went to the DNER office and signed a governor's executive order, closing the cases dealing with illegal constructions in the said natural reserve, authorizing consequently the buildings currently in existence. Thus, the destruction of the red and black mangrove, the contamination…