KING VS ENFORCER
DENR Chief, Hotel owner in Aklan showdown
By Jonathan L. Mayuga
Correspondent
Published in the Business Mirror May 29, 2008
The continuing development of Boracay Island as a prime tourist destination is now the subject of heated debate between local and national government officials. The debate was triggered by the desire of local officials of the municipality of Malay to develop the island to realize its full potential as a world-class tourism destination, on one hand, and on the other hand, the desire by national government officials to protect the island’s environment and natural resources from the hazards of unbridled development.
Proclamation 1064
Central to this is the vague land use and classification of certain areas in the island, which was aggravated by the issuance of Presidential Proclamation 1064 on May 22, 2006, by President Arroyo. The proclamation is being contested in court by various stakeholders, particularly hotel, resort and restaurant owners in the island.
The issuance of Proclamation 1064 paved the way for the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to step into the picture.
The proclamation classified the entire island into forestland and agricultural land for purposes of protecting the island, as well as declaring some areas as alienable and disposable pursuant to Section 13 of Presidential Decree 705, or the Revised Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines, and Commonwealth Act 141, or the Public Land Act, subject to actual ground survey and delineation.
The proclamation also declared that all existing roads, trails and pathways and a 15-meter buffer zone on each side of the centerline of roads and trails which are reserved for right-of-way shall form part of the area reserved for forestland protection purposes.
Illegal construction?
DENR Secretary Lito Atienza recently filed graft charges against the mayor of Malay town, Aklan, Ceciron Cawaling, and officials of J. King and Sons Inc. in connection with construction of the P1.2-billion Boracay Crown Regency Hotel and Convention Center project in barangay Balabag, which the DENR deems illegal.
The construction site, Atienza averred, used to be a wetland, hence, the area is unfit for such construction project and falls under the jurisdiction of the DENR, that being its classification.
This is the first time the DENR filed graft charges against a local chief executive for being remiss on his duty. Atienza said the mayor gave the owner of the hotel undue favor in allowing the company to proceed with the construction, albeit at its initial stage of hauling and compacting back-filling materials, even though there’s a construction moratorium.
Wetland or tourism zone?
Local officials, as well as company executives of J. King and Sons, insisted that the project is not covered by the moratorium, because it was already ongoing when the moratorium took effect on January 2, 2008.
Seeking court reprieve, J. King and Sons asked Branch 5 Judge Elmo del Rosario to create a commission that will determine the land classification of the company’s 1.6-hectare property to once and for all settle the issue. The company insisted that per its tax declaration since 1948, it was an agricultural land devoted to coconut, and in 1997, it was reclassified as a tourism zone by the municipal government of Malay.
The court has granted the petition and has asked the parties to submit a list of names from which the members of the commission will be picked.
Prior to the issuance of Proclamation 1064, illegal settlers had started to settle on the island. To date, only 20 percent of the island has land titles. Most of those who claim rights pay only taxes and, by virtue of tax declaration, use the land accordingly.
Tourist destination
The municipality of Malay, Aklan, is a prime tourist destination because of the beautiful island of Boracay. Hundreds of thousands of tourists come to visit the island, prompting its development mainly for tourism purposes.
In the past decade, more and more people have settled on the island because of the income potential of tourist arrivals, especially during the summer.
Malay is one of the 17 municipalities that comprise the Province of Aklan, having a land area of 6,731 hectares or 67.31 sq km comprising 3.63 percent of the total land area of the province. It is located in the northwestern tip of Panay bounded on the north by Sibuyan and Sulu Sea, on the east by the municipality of Nabas, on the west by the municipality of Buruanga and on the south by the province of Antique. It includes Boracay Island and Tigwatian or Laurel Island.
It is approximately 76 road kilometers from Kalibo, the capital town of Aklan, 237 road kilometers from Iloilo City, and 12 hours’ sea travel and 45 minutes’ air travel from Manila.
‘Hilly and mountainous’
According to the official web site of the municipality of Malay, 60.2 percent of land area of Malay is classified as hilly to mountainous, irregularly shaped and with elevation of less than 600 meters. In Boracay Island, about two-thirds of the total land area falls between 8-percent and 16-percent slope. Lowland and gently sloping areas are found near the shoreline.
Based on its existing land classification, 33.9395 hectares are residential; 2,719.0742 hectares agricultural; 13.6800 hectares commercial; 2,599.0000 hectares forests; 2.3960 hectares institutional; 13.8400 hectares utilities; 1,004.0150 tourism; 8.7012 hectares parks and open space; 111.8258 hectares other built-up areas in rural barangays; and 224.5283 hectares meadows/grasslands.
Part of the island, according to the DENR, remains a forest, and thus should be protected from further destruction.
Atienza said that aside from the forest, the island is host to natural bodies of water such as rivers, streams, swamps, wetlands and mangrove areas. Of the 11 swamps, wetlands and mangrove areas, only two remain, one of which is slowly being illegally reclaimed.
In explaining why he has decided to file charges against the mayor of Malay, Atienza said most of these wetlands were reclaimed and disposed of as private property, with the approval of the local government unit.
Investment haven
Despite the issues hounding Boracay, it remains as an investment haven because of the tourist-drawing beach properties.
Richard King, chairman and chief executive officer of J. King and Sons Inc., is bullish over his company’s multimillion-peso investment in the world-renowned Boracay Island.
King said despite the moratorium issue hounding one of his company’s four projects, sales are still up even before actual construction has begun.
The six-month construction moratorium on new construction took effect only in January 2, 2008. By July 2, 2008, construction of hotels and condominiums, as well as resorts in the prime tourist destination, is expected to resume.
Room shortage
At present, there are only a total of 7,500 rooms to accommodate tourist arrivals in the island, particularly during summer, Holy Week and the Christmas season.
The highest recorded number of tourists arriving in Boracay was in 2006, wherein some 500,000 local and foreign tourists came for the summer vacation, according to the Boracay Foundation Inc.—an organization of various stakeholders that include hotel, resort and restaurant owners on the island.
Lucrative business
The hotel-and-restaurant business is a lucrative business in Boracay. Most of the tourists are moneyed and are themselves willing to buy property, if not condominium units, where they can stay on yearly visits to Boracay.
According to King, as of last week, 20 percent of the 457 rooms of the P1.2-billion Boracay Crown Regency Hotel and Convention Center in barangay Balabag have been sold even though they just announced an increase in their condominium’s unit price by P1 million, or from P3 million to P4 million, owing to the demand.
The company’s biggest project so far represents “water,” one of the four elements of nature which include fire, earth and wind that each of the company’s four projects represent.
Representing “fire” is the P120-million, 40-room Crown Regency Hotel in Station 3 of the Island, to be formally opened in September this year. The Crown Regency Prince Hotel, an P80- million, 36-room condominium-hotel project representing “earth,” will start operating in December this year.
A fourth project that will represent wind is still in the design and planning stage.
The Boracay Crown Regency Hotel and Convention Center boasts of a 2,800-sq-m swimming pool—the biggest swimming pool ever to be built on the island—a water park, slides and kiddie attractions that it claims no other hotel or resort in Boracay offers.
It is a few minutes’ walk away from the beach. The hotel is accessible by tricycle, the only means of public transportation leading to the beaches of Boracay.
The Cebuano businessman is confident that in the next few months, sales will continue to go up and his company will eventually hit the target sale even before actual construction takes place.
The project is presently at its initial stage. Workers are hauling and compacting back-filling materials in the 1.6-hectare property, situated along the main road of barangay Balabag.
This, according to King, despite the supposed adverse impact of the negative publicity the company’s project has been getting as a result of what he described as the “malicious” allegations by Environment Secretary Atienza against the company in filing graft charges against Mayor Cawaling and company executives of J. King and Sons for proceeding with the construction project.
King said Boracay remains a promising investment haven for those in the hotel, resort and restaurant business, because of the influx of foreign and local tourists from all over the world.
Bold projection
In the next 10 years, local officials of Malay expect the number of tourists visiting Boracay to increase. At present, King said there’s already a room shortage of 5,000 during the peak season. He predicts this will increase to 8,000 in the next few years.
The company is also expanding its business to Bohol, and King noted that the province promises to be the next ecotourism destination in the Philippines.
“We are already looking for properties for future projects, particularly in Bohol, because as the DOT [Department of Tourism] said, Bohol needs big hotels soon,” King said.
King has found an ally in local government officials who support the idea of developing Boracay to achieve its full potential as a prime tourist destination.
Local government officials said they are not keen on issuing a cease-and-desist order to stop ongoing construction in the world-famous Boracay Island that is not covered by the six-month moratorium passed and approved by the members of the municipal council.
Ed Sancho, executive assistant to Mayor Cawaling, clarified that the moratorium covers only new construction and not those that were given building permits before January 2, 2008.
He said Cawaling has, in fact, strictly ordered concerned town officials not to issue building permits since the moratorium took effect. The moratorium will expire on July 2, 2008.
Councilors Rowen Aguirre and Welvic Gelito, who respectively chair the committees on laws and tourism, echoed his sentiment. “We cannot just stop an ongoing project just because the DENR wants it stopped. On our part, we can only stop a project if there’s a violation of the terms and conditions of the building permit,” Aguirre said.
He said such is the case of the controversial P1.2-billion Boracay Crown Regency Hotel and Condominium Project in barangay Balabag.
According to Sancho, ongoing construction projects should proceed with the construction activities because they are not covered by the moratorium. The rule, the local official said, applies to all projects.
There are ongoing construction projects other than the Boracay Crown Regency Hotel and Convention Center, according to Gelito, and issuing a cease-and-desist order to J. King and Sons while allowing others to continue their ongoing construction would be interpreted as a move to single out the company, he said.
Meanwhile, King is expected to sue DENR Secretary Lito Atienza and DENR Region 6 officials and employees for allegedly causing the company undue injury.
King insisted that the Boracay Crown Regency Hotel and Convention Center is a tourism project that’s “aboveboard”—taking note that his company has complied with all the requirements from all agencies.
At present, local officials of Malay, Aklan, are drafting a Comprehensive Land Use Plan to serve as their guide in issuing permits for the development of the island. At the same time, the DENR, too, is set to finish the final draft of the Environmental Master Plan for Boracay for the protection of the environment and the island’s natural resources.
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Monday, May 26, 2008
Wetland and wet dreams
I was in Boracay from May 24-26, 2008 to personally look into the construction site of the Crown Regency Hotel and Convention Center. The P1.2 billion hotel and convention center project is being opposed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) because according to Secretary Lito Atienza, the project site is a wetland.
After conducting a site visit, I was convinced that it was really a "wet land" because the land was wet, if that's what how the good ex-mayor of Manila defines it.
In this case, most parts of Metro Manila are wetland during the rainy season because the land becomes wet after being submerged by floodwater.
Anyway, Boracay still has the most beautiful beach in the world, as far as I'm concerned. It continues to attract the most beautiful people - women particularly.
No wonder many of my friends said Boracay is where even grown ups would have wet dreams.
Court-commissioned experts to rule Boracay 'wetland' issue
Unpublished in the Business Mirror
By Jonathan L. Mayuga
MALAY, Aklan - A panel of experts to be commissioned by a local court in Aklan will soon determine the land classification of a 1.6-hectare property of J. King and Sons Inc. in the world famous Boracay Island which will determine the legality of its P1.2 billion Boracay Crown Regency Hotel and Convention Center project.
Augusto Macam, lawyer for Richard King Jr, chief executive officer and chairman of J. King and Sons Inc said as per order of the court, they will submit not later than Tuesday a list of names to Judge Elmo del Rosario of the Aklan RTC Branch 5 who will name the members of the commission.
Likewise, the DENR, being the other party in the case initiated by J. King and Sons Inc. is expected submit its own recommendation next week.
“The members of the commission will determine whether the property in question is a wetland or nor. If it is not, then it means it doesn’t fall under the jurisdiction of the DENR,” he told reporters during a press conference here on Saturday.
He also said that the commission will be asked to define "wetland" which he said is unclear based on the DENR's own classification.
The court, in ordering the creation of the commission, granted the petition of J. King and Sons to for the purpose of determining the classification of the property.
J. King and Sons sought for court reprieve to prevent Atienza from allegedly "maliciously harassing” this town's local officials and J. King and Sons company executives to prevent the hotel and convention project.
The project is expected to be completed within the next three years.
Based on its tax declaration, the property formerly owned by the Garcia family is an agricultural land devoted to coconut in 1948 until it was reclassified into a tourism zone in 1998. The property, which is one of six properties acquired by J. King and Sons in Boracay more two years ago, is situated along the major road of Barangay Balabag. Just across the construction site is a branch of Allied Bank.
Local town officials have questioned the failure on the part of the DENR’s to clearly define what is a “wetland” adding that not all wetlands, particularly in Boracay, are government property.
The construction site, although is partly submerged under water that was diverted from a nearby wetland is at the heart of a residential and commercial area in Barangay Balabag. Several business establishments are situated near the property.
At the same press conference, King said the construction of the Boracay Crown Regency Hotel and Convention Center will continue, saying they have complied with all the requirements of the law to proceed with the construction.
“We have complied with the requirements for the construction of this project. And there’s no reason for us to stop it. Our project is not covered by the moratorium because the permits have been issued by the local government before the moratorium was passed and approved,” King said.
Macam told reporters during a site inspection of the property that their recommendation will include experts from the academe, the field of property planning and development, a geologist and a former DENR undersecretary.
King said the trees that were cut as part of the development of the property were planted by people who used to live in the community, and hence are not covered by the DENR guidelines in the cutting of tees. He was reacting to Atienza’s allegation that the company violated environmental laws in cutting the trees without securing a permit.
The classification of the property as per its tax declaration by the owners since 1948 is being questioned by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) led by Secretary Lito Atienza who filed graft charges against Cawaling and J. King and Sons Inc. executives led by King for the continued construction of the hotel, on this basis, saying it proceeded without an environmental clearance certificate from any of the agency’s offices in Quezon City or Aklan and an existing construction moratorium passed by the members of the Sangguniang Bayan.
He said Cawaling has given King and his company undue favor which constitutes graft while the company execs, in defying his order to stop the construction which allegedly led to the destruction of the “wetland” that’s also unfit for such construction project.
Next week, King said it will be his turn to file charges against Atienza and DENR Region 6 officials for alleged graft, saying it was the DENR chief who is liable for violating Republic Act 3019, particularly when it caused his company undue injury in filing the graft charges against them last week.
King dismissed the filing of the case against him and the mayor as attempt to harass and prevent his company from pursuing the project to favor hotel owners who do not want his company to put up the said project, which is projected to be the biggest hotel in Boracay Island.
The hotel and condominium project will have a total of 457 rooms, a 2,800 sq. m swimming pool with water park and kiddie attraction.
The hotel will also have its P20 million sewerage treatment plant that makes it one of the very few hotels with such in compliance with existing laws, particularly the building code of this town, and the Clean Water Act.
After conducting a site visit, I was convinced that it was really a "wet land" because the land was wet, if that's what how the good ex-mayor of Manila defines it.
In this case, most parts of Metro Manila are wetland during the rainy season because the land becomes wet after being submerged by floodwater.
Anyway, Boracay still has the most beautiful beach in the world, as far as I'm concerned. It continues to attract the most beautiful people - women particularly.
No wonder many of my friends said Boracay is where even grown ups would have wet dreams.
Court-commissioned experts to rule Boracay 'wetland' issue
Unpublished in the Business Mirror
By Jonathan L. Mayuga
MALAY, Aklan - A panel of experts to be commissioned by a local court in Aklan will soon determine the land classification of a 1.6-hectare property of J. King and Sons Inc. in the world famous Boracay Island which will determine the legality of its P1.2 billion Boracay Crown Regency Hotel and Convention Center project.
Augusto Macam, lawyer for Richard King Jr, chief executive officer and chairman of J. King and Sons Inc said as per order of the court, they will submit not later than Tuesday a list of names to Judge Elmo del Rosario of the Aklan RTC Branch 5 who will name the members of the commission.
Likewise, the DENR, being the other party in the case initiated by J. King and Sons Inc. is expected submit its own recommendation next week.
“The members of the commission will determine whether the property in question is a wetland or nor. If it is not, then it means it doesn’t fall under the jurisdiction of the DENR,” he told reporters during a press conference here on Saturday.
He also said that the commission will be asked to define "wetland" which he said is unclear based on the DENR's own classification.
The court, in ordering the creation of the commission, granted the petition of J. King and Sons to for the purpose of determining the classification of the property.
J. King and Sons sought for court reprieve to prevent Atienza from allegedly "maliciously harassing” this town's local officials and J. King and Sons company executives to prevent the hotel and convention project.
The project is expected to be completed within the next three years.
Based on its tax declaration, the property formerly owned by the Garcia family is an agricultural land devoted to coconut in 1948 until it was reclassified into a tourism zone in 1998. The property, which is one of six properties acquired by J. King and Sons in Boracay more two years ago, is situated along the major road of Barangay Balabag. Just across the construction site is a branch of Allied Bank.
Local town officials have questioned the failure on the part of the DENR’s to clearly define what is a “wetland” adding that not all wetlands, particularly in Boracay, are government property.
The construction site, although is partly submerged under water that was diverted from a nearby wetland is at the heart of a residential and commercial area in Barangay Balabag. Several business establishments are situated near the property.
At the same press conference, King said the construction of the Boracay Crown Regency Hotel and Convention Center will continue, saying they have complied with all the requirements of the law to proceed with the construction.
“We have complied with the requirements for the construction of this project. And there’s no reason for us to stop it. Our project is not covered by the moratorium because the permits have been issued by the local government before the moratorium was passed and approved,” King said.
Macam told reporters during a site inspection of the property that their recommendation will include experts from the academe, the field of property planning and development, a geologist and a former DENR undersecretary.
King said the trees that were cut as part of the development of the property were planted by people who used to live in the community, and hence are not covered by the DENR guidelines in the cutting of tees. He was reacting to Atienza’s allegation that the company violated environmental laws in cutting the trees without securing a permit.
The classification of the property as per its tax declaration by the owners since 1948 is being questioned by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) led by Secretary Lito Atienza who filed graft charges against Cawaling and J. King and Sons Inc. executives led by King for the continued construction of the hotel, on this basis, saying it proceeded without an environmental clearance certificate from any of the agency’s offices in Quezon City or Aklan and an existing construction moratorium passed by the members of the Sangguniang Bayan.
He said Cawaling has given King and his company undue favor which constitutes graft while the company execs, in defying his order to stop the construction which allegedly led to the destruction of the “wetland” that’s also unfit for such construction project.
Next week, King said it will be his turn to file charges against Atienza and DENR Region 6 officials for alleged graft, saying it was the DENR chief who is liable for violating Republic Act 3019, particularly when it caused his company undue injury in filing the graft charges against them last week.
King dismissed the filing of the case against him and the mayor as attempt to harass and prevent his company from pursuing the project to favor hotel owners who do not want his company to put up the said project, which is projected to be the biggest hotel in Boracay Island.
The hotel and condominium project will have a total of 457 rooms, a 2,800 sq. m swimming pool with water park and kiddie attraction.
The hotel will also have its P20 million sewerage treatment plant that makes it one of the very few hotels with such in compliance with existing laws, particularly the building code of this town, and the Clean Water Act.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
A lake, a tribe and a people
MAMANWA TRIBE IN AGUSAN GETS LIVELIHOOD PROJECTS FROM AGRICULTURE DEPARTMENT
by Jonathan L. Mayuga
02-Nov-2006 BusinessMirror
For most Mamanwa living near Lake Mainit in Jabonga, Agusan del Norte, fishing is a way of life. Even if their small farms are unproductive, they manage to survive on their own, with a little help from the local government, because of the lake's abundance.
Over the past few years, however, even the lake is becoming unproductive. Soon enough, the Mamanwa tribe found themselves needing help more than ever.
Datu Randy Catarman, a tribal leader of the Mamanwa, describes his fellow Mamanwa as diligent.
But he says food is getting harder and harder to find nowadays in Mindanao.
The good news about biotechnology could not, therefore, have come at a better time for them.
Basically hunters, the Mamanwa eventually turned to farming and fishing in Lake Mainit after hunting became increasingly less productive. But to survive, they decided they needed the government's help. And to do it, they need to do it the biotech way.
Despite its abundance, the lake had been unable to sustain the needs of the increasing number of people.
"We are not lazy people. We cultivate our land and we go fishing in the lake everyday if we had to. Before, it takes us just an hour, even less, to catch a fish; now, it takes us four hours or more and yet sometimes, we go home empty-handed," he says.
A recent visit of former Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban in Butuan City last month to attend a three-day stakeholders' forum titled, "Economic opportunities in biotechnology in Caraga Region," an hour's drive from the old town of Jabonga, Agusan del Norte, came at a very opportune time for the Mamanwa.
Panganiban met with some 20 tribal leaders led by Datu Randy, who appealed for government support. While saying farming has never been better, they said the food they produce is barely enough for their subsistence.
"What we produce in our farm and what we catch in the lake are just enough for our daily consumption. Although we are not experiencing hunger, our people remain poor," Datu Randy said.
The Mamanwa said the great Lake Mainit is no longer as abundant as before. The Mamanwa were once considered a Negrito group, but now are thought to comprise an older group entirely distinct from other Filipino populations.
But like all Negritos, they have adopted the language of a dominant nearby group. In Mindanao, they are concentrated primarily in Kitcharao and Santiago in Agusan del Norte.
They are quite mobile and have continually relocated until recent years. As hunting has declined in importance, the Mamanwa receive some of their subsistence from other groups with whom they have labor arrangements.
But the major economic activities of the Mamanwa are farming and fishing in the lake.
Lake Mainit, the country's fourth largest lake, has totally become their life-support system since time immemorial.
The lake, with a total inland water of 17,000 hectares and, with a depth of 180 meters and an elevation of 37 meters above sea level, the deepest lake in the Philippines, provides them food and drinking water.
The unspoiled teardrop-shaped lake is one of the most untouched ecosystems in the region; it has unique and diverse potentials among the largest lakes in the country.
It has the most pristine water surrounded by numerous cold and hot springs in its tributaries. It is home to some rare freshwater fishers.
The terrestrial ecosystems feature some of the rare and endangered species of palm, orchids, fire orchid and hardwood premium timber species. The presence of wildlife species, such as migrating birds in season, that depend on the lake is attributed largely to the shallow marshland and estuarine areas.
Panganiban, during the dialogue, promised a package of livelihood projects for the Mamanwa. He likewise ordered the DA's regional executive director Ricardo Regis to immediately craft a proposal on how to provide the Mamanwa with livelihood.
In response, the DA official in Caraga said that initially, 55 goats will be given to the Mamanwa. The DA Region XIII also shouldered expenses for procuring supplies such as the interlink wire for fencing, biologics and pasture grasses as planting materials.
The municipality of Jabonga will provide other logistics needed, as well as the labor requirement to build the goat house.
For its part, director Alauya Olama of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) - Caraga will provide fish cages for the establishment of mariculture park in Lake Mainit. He said BFAR's amazing breed of freshwater tilapia would fit in the lake.
Panganiban also directed DA-Caraga to purchase one pump boat for the Mamanwa.
More important, he urged them to join the biotech revolution and farm for natural ingredients. He noted the economic opportunities in biotechnology, such as supplying the world's natural ingredients industry, with raw materials.
For instance, papaya, which is traditionally grown by the Mamanwa, can become a major source of income. He urged them to plant papaya and become a major supplier of papain.
Panganiban also urged them to plant hybrid corn and pest-resistant and high-yielding Bt corn instead of the regular corn they usually grow in their farms, and experience the wonders of agricultural biotechnology.
by Jonathan L. Mayuga
02-Nov-2006 BusinessMirror
For most Mamanwa living near Lake Mainit in Jabonga, Agusan del Norte, fishing is a way of life. Even if their small farms are unproductive, they manage to survive on their own, with a little help from the local government, because of the lake's abundance.
Over the past few years, however, even the lake is becoming unproductive. Soon enough, the Mamanwa tribe found themselves needing help more than ever.
Datu Randy Catarman, a tribal leader of the Mamanwa, describes his fellow Mamanwa as diligent.
But he says food is getting harder and harder to find nowadays in Mindanao.
The good news about biotechnology could not, therefore, have come at a better time for them.
Basically hunters, the Mamanwa eventually turned to farming and fishing in Lake Mainit after hunting became increasingly less productive. But to survive, they decided they needed the government's help. And to do it, they need to do it the biotech way.
Despite its abundance, the lake had been unable to sustain the needs of the increasing number of people.
"We are not lazy people. We cultivate our land and we go fishing in the lake everyday if we had to. Before, it takes us just an hour, even less, to catch a fish; now, it takes us four hours or more and yet sometimes, we go home empty-handed," he says.
A recent visit of former Agriculture Secretary Domingo Panganiban in Butuan City last month to attend a three-day stakeholders' forum titled, "Economic opportunities in biotechnology in Caraga Region," an hour's drive from the old town of Jabonga, Agusan del Norte, came at a very opportune time for the Mamanwa.
Panganiban met with some 20 tribal leaders led by Datu Randy, who appealed for government support. While saying farming has never been better, they said the food they produce is barely enough for their subsistence.
"What we produce in our farm and what we catch in the lake are just enough for our daily consumption. Although we are not experiencing hunger, our people remain poor," Datu Randy said.
The Mamanwa said the great Lake Mainit is no longer as abundant as before. The Mamanwa were once considered a Negrito group, but now are thought to comprise an older group entirely distinct from other Filipino populations.
But like all Negritos, they have adopted the language of a dominant nearby group. In Mindanao, they are concentrated primarily in Kitcharao and Santiago in Agusan del Norte.
They are quite mobile and have continually relocated until recent years. As hunting has declined in importance, the Mamanwa receive some of their subsistence from other groups with whom they have labor arrangements.
But the major economic activities of the Mamanwa are farming and fishing in the lake.
Lake Mainit, the country's fourth largest lake, has totally become their life-support system since time immemorial.
The lake, with a total inland water of 17,000 hectares and, with a depth of 180 meters and an elevation of 37 meters above sea level, the deepest lake in the Philippines, provides them food and drinking water.
The unspoiled teardrop-shaped lake is one of the most untouched ecosystems in the region; it has unique and diverse potentials among the largest lakes in the country.
It has the most pristine water surrounded by numerous cold and hot springs in its tributaries. It is home to some rare freshwater fishers.
The terrestrial ecosystems feature some of the rare and endangered species of palm, orchids, fire orchid and hardwood premium timber species. The presence of wildlife species, such as migrating birds in season, that depend on the lake is attributed largely to the shallow marshland and estuarine areas.
Panganiban, during the dialogue, promised a package of livelihood projects for the Mamanwa. He likewise ordered the DA's regional executive director Ricardo Regis to immediately craft a proposal on how to provide the Mamanwa with livelihood.
In response, the DA official in Caraga said that initially, 55 goats will be given to the Mamanwa. The DA Region XIII also shouldered expenses for procuring supplies such as the interlink wire for fencing, biologics and pasture grasses as planting materials.
The municipality of Jabonga will provide other logistics needed, as well as the labor requirement to build the goat house.
For its part, director Alauya Olama of the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) - Caraga will provide fish cages for the establishment of mariculture park in Lake Mainit. He said BFAR's amazing breed of freshwater tilapia would fit in the lake.
Panganiban also directed DA-Caraga to purchase one pump boat for the Mamanwa.
More important, he urged them to join the biotech revolution and farm for natural ingredients. He noted the economic opportunities in biotechnology, such as supplying the world's natural ingredients industry, with raw materials.
For instance, papaya, which is traditionally grown by the Mamanwa, can become a major source of income. He urged them to plant papaya and become a major supplier of papain.
Panganiban also urged them to plant hybrid corn and pest-resistant and high-yielding Bt corn instead of the regular corn they usually grow in their farms, and experience the wonders of agricultural biotechnology.
Thursday, May 01, 2008
Bat kamo?
To the bat cave!
(Published in the Business Mirror, May 2, 2008)
By Jonathan L. Mayuga
Correspondent
San Juan, Batangas—Known for its white-sand beaches, this town, earlier declared as a bird sanctuary, will soon promote one of, if not perhaps its best-kept, secrets as an ecotourism destination—a bat sanctuary in the middle of the forest. This was revealed by Councilor Noel Pasco, chairman of the town’s agriculture and fisheries committee, and member of the committee on environment and tourism.
“We are planning to open our doors to nature lovers who might want to experience this new adventure—a journey to the bat kingdom,” Pasco told the BusinessMirror in an interview.
Local officials have been actively promoting this town as an ecotourism destination and have passed enabling ordinances that strengthen existing environmental laws as they see better economic opportunities protecting the environment.
THE forests of the Laiya Aplaya Mountain in San Juan, Batangas, are home to two species of giant fruit bats. The Golden Crowned Flying Fox is the largest bat in the world, with a wingspan of 2 meters, while the Large Flying Fox is the heaviest bat in the world, weighing up to 1.1 kg. --JONATHAN L. MAYUGA
In 1995 local officials passed a resolution declaring the entire town as a bird sanctuary—in effect prohibiting hunting, catching, transporting or selling of birds in the town.
In 2004 the town also passed enabling ordinances declaring nine out of 16 coastal barangays as Marine Protected Areas to shelter marine life, including the threatened marine turtles, dolphins and butanding found in its coastal waters; the protection and conservation of a species of the teak tree locally known as malabayabas, which is endemic to the town; and now, the habitat of giant fruit bats at the Laiya Aplaya Mountain, which covers three towns—San Juan, Lubo and Rosario, all in the province of Batangas.
Approximately two-and-a-half hours’ drive south of Metro Manila, this town is known for its native products like lambanog and palayok. It also boasts of the unspoiled beaches of Laiya, one of 16 coastal barangays that boast of a long stretch of beautiful white-sand beaches. The town is home to nesting marine turtles, mangrove forests, dolphins and the occasional butanding, and a unique species of birds.
Among the existing ecotourism and adventure travels this town offers to local and foreign tourists are snorkeling and scuba diving, hiking and camping, plant and wildlife appreciation—which include whale-shark and dolphin watching—as well as bird watching.
Soon it will offer the majestic view of the bat kingdom right in the middle of the forest, its latest attraction for nature trippers.
Councilor Noel Pasco leads members of the media during a shallow river trek at the foot of the Laiya Aplaya Mountain that leads to a bat sanctuary in the town of San Juan, Batangas - JONATHAN L. MAYUGA
This coastal town in Batangas is home to two species of giant fruit bats—the Golden Crowned Flying Fox, scientifically known as Acerodon jubatus, an endangered species; and the Large Flying Fox, scientifically known as the Pteropus vampyrus, also threatened with extinction.
The Golden Crowned Flying Fox is the largest bat in the world with a wingspan of 2 meters, and the Large Flying Fox is the heaviest bat in the world with a weight of up to 1.1 kg.
The giant fruit bats are keystone species that serve as pollinators and seed-dispersal agents, helping regenerate the forest.
Scientists said there are 300 plant species that rely on fruit bats to pollinate them and disperse their seeds. Some of the plant species dependent on fruit bats are bananas, mangoes, avocados, figs and cashews.
Unlike most bat species, fruit bats use their sense of smell, and not echolocation. Fruit bats travel up to 50 km a night in search for food. They roost during the day. The roost in San Juan has a population of approximately a thousand bats.
The 3-km journey to the bat kingdom is, by itself, already an adventure. It is a two-hour trek via a shallow river and streams on foot or by horse leading to the foot of the Laiya Aplaya Mountain. From there, it will be another hour’s trek without the horses to the bat kingdom.
Local officials of this town, as well as the local communities, have seen and appreciated the economic potential of nature conservation and wildlife preservation.
Willie Gutierrez, 24, a resident of Laiya Aplaya, is hopeful that more tourists will come because this offers additional income opportunity for a farmer like him—either as a tourist guide or a tourist companion.
Gutierrez, who owns a horse, is one of six tourist guides who offer horseback riding to local and foreign tourists who go to the bat kingdom.
Besides ecotourism, local communities benefit from community-based forest- and marine-resource management.
“Everything is interconnected. You protect the bats, you protect the agent that regenerates not only the forests in Batangas, but other areas, as well, because bats are migratory mammals,” Pasco explained.
The Laiya Aplaya mountain, according to Pasco, provides livelihood to the communities. However, he said the law against bird hunting, as well as the giant fruit bats that thrive in the forests, is now strictly enforced.
Pasco said slowly, they are educating the people who are still into the practice of slash-and-burn agriculture, as well as cutting trees for fuel and for charcoal making.
“Slowly, we are educating them, teaching them alternative means of livelihood from ecotourism. We are teaching them to help take care of the forest. Instead of cutting trees, we teach them to help pick up pieces of garbage left behind by litterbugs to keep the forest clean,” he said.
Town officials are getting help from Ramon Flores, a marine-turtle conservationist who belongs to Earth Day Network, an organization that promotes the protection and preservation of Mother Earth, and two Peace Corps volunteers in couple Steven and Rebecca Gomez. The couple has been actively involved in the town’s information, education and communication campaign as far as environmental protection is concerned.
Eight of the coastal barangays of this town have been identified as nesting sites of marine turtles, which are also threatened by extinction.
Flores said the active involvement of the community boosts the government’s effort to protect marine wildlife.
“Before, you could see people selling turtles and turtle eggs for consumption. Now, you’ll see the people building fences to protect nesting sites of marine turtles,” he said.
“The turtles that eat seagrass and jellyfish help a lot in striking a balance of nature, making the beaches of San Juan, Batangas, more enjoyable,” he said.
(Published in the Business Mirror, May 2, 2008)
By Jonathan L. Mayuga
Correspondent
San Juan, Batangas—Known for its white-sand beaches, this town, earlier declared as a bird sanctuary, will soon promote one of, if not perhaps its best-kept, secrets as an ecotourism destination—a bat sanctuary in the middle of the forest. This was revealed by Councilor Noel Pasco, chairman of the town’s agriculture and fisheries committee, and member of the committee on environment and tourism.
“We are planning to open our doors to nature lovers who might want to experience this new adventure—a journey to the bat kingdom,” Pasco told the BusinessMirror in an interview.
Local officials have been actively promoting this town as an ecotourism destination and have passed enabling ordinances that strengthen existing environmental laws as they see better economic opportunities protecting the environment.
THE forests of the Laiya Aplaya Mountain in San Juan, Batangas, are home to two species of giant fruit bats. The Golden Crowned Flying Fox is the largest bat in the world, with a wingspan of 2 meters, while the Large Flying Fox is the heaviest bat in the world, weighing up to 1.1 kg. --JONATHAN L. MAYUGA
In 1995 local officials passed a resolution declaring the entire town as a bird sanctuary—in effect prohibiting hunting, catching, transporting or selling of birds in the town.
In 2004 the town also passed enabling ordinances declaring nine out of 16 coastal barangays as Marine Protected Areas to shelter marine life, including the threatened marine turtles, dolphins and butanding found in its coastal waters; the protection and conservation of a species of the teak tree locally known as malabayabas, which is endemic to the town; and now, the habitat of giant fruit bats at the Laiya Aplaya Mountain, which covers three towns—San Juan, Lubo and Rosario, all in the province of Batangas.
Approximately two-and-a-half hours’ drive south of Metro Manila, this town is known for its native products like lambanog and palayok. It also boasts of the unspoiled beaches of Laiya, one of 16 coastal barangays that boast of a long stretch of beautiful white-sand beaches. The town is home to nesting marine turtles, mangrove forests, dolphins and the occasional butanding, and a unique species of birds.
Among the existing ecotourism and adventure travels this town offers to local and foreign tourists are snorkeling and scuba diving, hiking and camping, plant and wildlife appreciation—which include whale-shark and dolphin watching—as well as bird watching.
Soon it will offer the majestic view of the bat kingdom right in the middle of the forest, its latest attraction for nature trippers.
Councilor Noel Pasco leads members of the media during a shallow river trek at the foot of the Laiya Aplaya Mountain that leads to a bat sanctuary in the town of San Juan, Batangas - JONATHAN L. MAYUGA
This coastal town in Batangas is home to two species of giant fruit bats—the Golden Crowned Flying Fox, scientifically known as Acerodon jubatus, an endangered species; and the Large Flying Fox, scientifically known as the Pteropus vampyrus, also threatened with extinction.
The Golden Crowned Flying Fox is the largest bat in the world with a wingspan of 2 meters, and the Large Flying Fox is the heaviest bat in the world with a weight of up to 1.1 kg.
The giant fruit bats are keystone species that serve as pollinators and seed-dispersal agents, helping regenerate the forest.
Scientists said there are 300 plant species that rely on fruit bats to pollinate them and disperse their seeds. Some of the plant species dependent on fruit bats are bananas, mangoes, avocados, figs and cashews.
Unlike most bat species, fruit bats use their sense of smell, and not echolocation. Fruit bats travel up to 50 km a night in search for food. They roost during the day. The roost in San Juan has a population of approximately a thousand bats.
The 3-km journey to the bat kingdom is, by itself, already an adventure. It is a two-hour trek via a shallow river and streams on foot or by horse leading to the foot of the Laiya Aplaya Mountain. From there, it will be another hour’s trek without the horses to the bat kingdom.
Local officials of this town, as well as the local communities, have seen and appreciated the economic potential of nature conservation and wildlife preservation.
Willie Gutierrez, 24, a resident of Laiya Aplaya, is hopeful that more tourists will come because this offers additional income opportunity for a farmer like him—either as a tourist guide or a tourist companion.
Gutierrez, who owns a horse, is one of six tourist guides who offer horseback riding to local and foreign tourists who go to the bat kingdom.
Besides ecotourism, local communities benefit from community-based forest- and marine-resource management.
“Everything is interconnected. You protect the bats, you protect the agent that regenerates not only the forests in Batangas, but other areas, as well, because bats are migratory mammals,” Pasco explained.
The Laiya Aplaya mountain, according to Pasco, provides livelihood to the communities. However, he said the law against bird hunting, as well as the giant fruit bats that thrive in the forests, is now strictly enforced.
Pasco said slowly, they are educating the people who are still into the practice of slash-and-burn agriculture, as well as cutting trees for fuel and for charcoal making.
“Slowly, we are educating them, teaching them alternative means of livelihood from ecotourism. We are teaching them to help take care of the forest. Instead of cutting trees, we teach them to help pick up pieces of garbage left behind by litterbugs to keep the forest clean,” he said.
Town officials are getting help from Ramon Flores, a marine-turtle conservationist who belongs to Earth Day Network, an organization that promotes the protection and preservation of Mother Earth, and two Peace Corps volunteers in couple Steven and Rebecca Gomez. The couple has been actively involved in the town’s information, education and communication campaign as far as environmental protection is concerned.
Eight of the coastal barangays of this town have been identified as nesting sites of marine turtles, which are also threatened by extinction.
Flores said the active involvement of the community boosts the government’s effort to protect marine wildlife.
“Before, you could see people selling turtles and turtle eggs for consumption. Now, you’ll see the people building fences to protect nesting sites of marine turtles,” he said.
“The turtles that eat seagrass and jellyfish help a lot in striking a balance of nature, making the beaches of San Juan, Batangas, more enjoyable,” he said.
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