2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-ONE - Municipalities (§§ 1-4 — 6756) › Subtitle 3 - General Provisions (§§ 621-639 — 1100a) › Chapter 85C - Development and Protection of Culebra and Vieques (§§ 895 — 895g) › § 895 - Public policy

The public policy of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico shall be:
(a) To give priority to the interest of the bona fide communities of Vieques and Culebra in the development and protection of their islands.
(b) Fully equal access to public services, educational opportunities and economic incentives for the citizens and enterprises established in Vieques and Culebra, and those in the Main Island, within the geographical realities of the island municipalities.
(c) Equal treatment in government processes for the citizens, communities and enterprises established in Vieques and Culebra, within the geographical realities of the island municipalities.
(d) To expedite the processes and procedures in the dependencies of the three (3) Government branches for the residents of Vieques and Culebra and businesspersons that need to travel to the Main Island to receive services.
(e) To improve and give maintenance to air and sea transportation facilities, and to promote the development of entities that render such services.
(f) Maximum protection of the rights of the communities of Vieques and Culebra concerning access to the land, to the natural and economic resources of their islands, within the framework of organized planning, in observance of the law and public and private property rights.
(g) To promote Commonwealth, municipal, community and entrepreneurial initiatives for the sustainable development of the economies of Vieques and Culebra, for the creation of employment, educational opportunities, and local and external investments through the establishment of local, national and international enterprises.
(h) To collaborate closely with the United States Department of Defense and Department of the Interior for the optimal coordination of the management of natural reserves, the cleaning and maintenance of lands impacted by military activity, the safety of federal land and the transfer of property among federal, Commonwealth and municipal entities.
(i) To preserve and conserve the ecological integrity of the islands of Vieques and Culebra, including their surrounding keys, isles and waters.
(j) To ensure that the continuous development of Vieques and Culebra protects and preserves to the maximum extent their extraordinary natural environment, which is part of the patrimony of the people of Puerto Rico.
(k) To promote and support the feeling of unity and identity between the people of Puerto Rico in general and the citizenry of the island municipalities.
(l) To give priority to compliance with administration plans, rules, regulations, ownership and management of the lands of public domain, infrastructure and adequate structures for the establishment and execution of programs that promote the best knowledge, preservation and wise use of the natural resources of the island municipalities.
(m) To guarantee the participation of legitimate representatives of the people of Vieques and Culebra in the decision-making and deliberation processes that affect their communities and environment.
For such purposes, all the instrumentalities of the three (3) branches of the Government of Puerto Rico shall incorporate within their plans, regulations, operations and administrative structures, paying special attention to cases in which the citizenry of the island municipalities is affected. The Government of Puerto Rico may consider all communities within the municipalities of Vieques and Culebra as eligible to avail themselves of the benefits of the programs under §§ 962 et seq. of this title, and §§ 971 et seq. of this title, which regulate the Special Communities Program, in order to provide services for the economic and social improvement of the resident families.
History —June 13, 2006, No. 114, § 1.