To: All Fenway Shareholders
The "Buy & Sell" is a widely-read paper in Palawan. Here's the latest article. I would encourage shareholders (and others) to e-mail with your reactions and she may print your responses in the next issue.
Bob
BUY & SELL
The First and Only Ad Paper in Palawan
September 15, 1997
THE CEMENT PLANT ISSUE:
PART II
"The well-being of humankind, its peace and security are unattainable unless and until its unity is firmly established
By: Jane Timbancaya-Urbanek
There are today some glaring curiosities in Palawan. Observers note that some people fighting the cement plant project are the some people who fought the Strategic Environmental Plan's legitimization before. Their other targets are - capitalism government the oligarchy: very reminiscent of times and systems considered obsolete, analysts note. analysts note. The big question is: Why?
FLASHBACK:
Allow me to tell you a little story I thought you might want to know about what many people call Philippines' Last Paradise.
Once upon a time, in a country known today as the Philippines, there was a group of very beautiful and rich island called Palawan. It was home to many peace-loving and gentle people called the Cuyonon, Agutaynen, Cagayanen, and tribal groups called Tagbanua, Batac, and Palaw'an.
Its thick, deep-green forests was home, too, to many beautiful birds and animals, including the Palawan peacock pheasant, the mouse deer, and the anteater.
Wood from Palawan's forests was used by the people to build their homes, furniture, boats and for firewood. Some roots, leaves, twigs and oil from certain trees and plants were used as medicines for different kinds of ailments. Some were used to drive away evil spirits and witches, which were believed to have inhabited the islands. But most important of all, the forests served as large containers of water which supplied the rivers and the streams!
The abundance of nature in Palawan was well-known throughout Asia. It was familiar to the Arab, Indian, Chinese, and Malay merchants who sailed on Palawan waters while trading between China, Labuan and Malakka.
The safe harbors of Palawan, a long, long time ago, prompted the Chinese to call it Palao-Yu, or the Land of Beautiful, Safe, Harbors. The Indonesians, upon seeing the inhabitants of the islands - called them `Pahlawan', their word for `warrior' or `hero'. As mentioned earlier, one of the tribal groups in the province today is known by this name. We do not know the mystery that lies behind their having been called so!
When the Spaniards came and saw how the islands resembled a closed umbrella on the map, they called it `Paragua', their word for umbrella.
The waters surrounding the islands of Palawan were the richest in the Philippines. There were plenty of coral reefs. The seabed of Palawan then abounded with seagrass, seaweed's, sea urchins, anemones, crabs, and colorful seashells. Forest-like formations of reefs, built for centuries by coral animals, made the seaworld of Palawan among the loveliest in the world! Fisherfolk during those times found so much fish and other sea animals in Palawan waters like groupers, tunas, barracudas, coral fishes, dolphins, turtles and sharks! They could just paddle out to the sea and fish for one hour and catch all the fish they wanted, according to stories from the old folks.
Minerals like chromite, gold, manganese, mercury, nickel, limestone, jade and other precious stones were part of the rich natural heritage of this island-paradise.
The mangroves of Palawan were considered to be among the best the Philippines had. They, too, like the coral reefs, served as breeding place for many sea animals. Among the roots of the mangroves, shaded against the sun by layers of leaves, branches and twigs, was the most ideal nesting place, where life was cool and easy, and there was plenty of food for the newborn fishes!
The peace and quiet and abundance of Palawan, its clean and unpolluted air, its emerald-green seas, untouched by dynamite, destructive chemicals and dirt, made Palawan one of the best places to live in, in the olden days. For a long, long time, Palawan remained like this - a Paradise!
THE REALITIES IN PALAWAN TODAY
Alas, much as many of us like to see Palawan remain like that forever - it was not to be its fate! Let's look around us a little bit.
Here in Puerto Princesa City, shall we start looking in places like Quito, Sea Plane Base I and Sea Plane Base II, Calle Baho (Calle is Spanish for `street'; and baho is Tagalog for `stinky')? Shall we then take a peek at the backyards of over a
hundred thousand residents of our beloved city? You and I know it is not so pretty around these places. And for years, it seemed there was not much the politicians did about it. There are about 30,000 voters in the slum areas of Puerto Princesa and for any politician to try to relocate them to thinly populated areas is a very tough job -bordering on the impossible.
Let's take a look at the plight of our three main tribal groups (or cultural communities, if you like) in Palawan, namely: the Tagbanua, the Batac and the Palaw'an. Of the three, the Batac is the most disadvantaged. This tribe is oftentimes referred to as the `vanishing tribe of Palawan'. Only about 200 Batac individuals have survived: very high mortality rate ( the average life span of the Batac is 21.8 years; mortality rate of children between 1 - 13 years old is 50%)), low birth rate, malnutrition, most of them suffering from tuberculosis and malaria and tinia flava (double skin).
The Tagbanua through the years have fared much better. Father Armando Limsa of the Catholic Church and top man of one of the associations of tribal communities (NATRIPAL), and recognized by many as a good leader, is a Tagbanua. A number of other Tagbanua have become lawyers, engineers, teachers, businessmen - becoming comfortable in the ways of the lowlander. But in the mountains where one still finds pockets of tribal villages - drinking has become a problem. In Aborlan, among the Tagbanua, drug addiction has been reported. Majority of the tribal community, once members of a very proud race, as one would glean from the accounts of Pigaffeta, Magellan's historian, who with the remnant of their troops after the Battle of Mactan, anchored in Palawan, is now a pathetic sight: humiliated, reduced to dependency on dole-outs, insecure, malnourished, and poverty-stricken.
Palawan has the highest population growth rate. The last I heard it was about 6.14 % against the about 2.14% average for the whole country. A large part of this is accounted for by migration. In recent years, Palawan has become an attraction for other Filipinos as well as non-Filipinos for several reasons, namely: 1) its relatively good peace and order situation; 2) its natural resources which are relatively intact (terrestrial and marine); 3) the fact that it is not within the earthquake and typhoon belts; 4) the vast tracks of public land that can still be applied for by individuals which would eventually become theirs; and 5) for the businessmen - the lure of the business potentials of Palawan especially in relation to BIMP-EAGA..
According to the country's economists, more than half of the country's population is living below poverty line. In Palawan, the situation is worse. Five years ago, the figure was more than 70%. In 1988, it ranked number 26 in the list of poor provinces of the Philippines. Behind all the awards that both city and province have garnered for being the `cleanest and greenest', lurks the incessant and insidious pain of widespread poverty in the province. Unknown to the public, behind the government's claim and declarations of a `zero kaingin' status among the tribes and other migrants in the mountains, are whole clans withdrawing farther up the mountains or in other areas, more inland, where they could continue kaingin (slash-and-burn): the only survival kit they know.
PALAWAN CANNOT BE ISOLATED FROM THE REST OF THE WORLD
Incidentally, Palawan is not an isolated case. Times have changed for many countries in the world, including ours. And Palawan, cannot, even if it likes, isolate itself from the rest of the country, and the world. The 1980s can be characterized as a decade of crisis: dehumanizing poverty permeated many parts of the world, ecological systems faced massive destruction, communal violence threatened global peace and security, and, social and institutional structures crumbled, outliving their relevance and utility.
CAN PALAWAN MAKE A TRANSITION FROM MERELY BEING A CONSUMER TO BEING A PRODUCER?
In spite of all the money poured into Palawan by the government via projects, grants and aids from foreign funding agencies through the government and non-governmental organizations, money from investors, observers and analysts say that Palawan is not doing as well as it could. Production of any kind is minimal due to factors like: expensive and low quality of the labor force, lack of intelligent and well-organized support from the government, conflicting regulations emanating from turf-protection preoccupied agencies, and, the lack of the basic ingredients of development: infrastructure and an effective communication system.
Money from liquified real estate, which of late is substantial, have been dissipated and squandered by a population which still has to graduate from just being consumers to being more entrepreneurial - producers. So far, what has Palawan produced? The traditional contribution of Palawan to the national economy in terms of production are: copra, cashew, rice and corn. The other contribution coming from extractive industries were: logging (in the past), mining, fossil fuel extraction and fishing. Today, the coconuts in Palawan are being felled at an alarming rate, as coco lumber becomes a substitute to good lumber which, as a consequence of the inability of PCSD to install the community-based, small-scale logging, as mandated by R.A. 7611. Rampant illegal logging still continues; in Metro Manila coco lumber is P7.50 per bd. ft.; in Puerto Princesa City, it is P12.00/bd. ft.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
We have different opinions here. Articulators of NGO vision of Palawan Gerthie Anda and Lito Alisuag are saying - please, no big extractive industries like mining and logging. In fact, the NGOs of Palawan through pressure and advocacy and lobbying in Congress were largely responsible in kicking Pepito Alvarez, commercial logger, out of Palawan. Lately, in an interview, Alvarez, who, has become the car industry czar of the Philippines (Columbia Motors, Vietnam Motors)
said that the NGOs have become a big industry in Palawan, a comment, which is getting sympathy from several sectors in Palawan today, in the light of NGO `misdemeanors' in Palawan lately.(refer to Jerry Esplanada's series of articles on the NGO workings in Palawan -Daily Inquirer, Aug 3,4,5). Anda and Alisuag would rather Palawan go for small businesses in agriculture and tourism.
The official stand of the government is that Palawan should be developed along principles of sustainable development as mandated by R.A. 7611 or what is popularly known as the Strategic Environmental Plan of Palawan law. It does not rule out mining and logging - as long as operators follow the rules and regulations set by the agencies concerned. According to NEDA's Deputy Director-General Isagani Baldellon who sits in the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (highest policy-making body implementing SEP), there are five more cement plant proposals in the pipeline for approval by NEDA. "The Philippines needs cement".
"We recognize and acknowledge that need" Anda says. `But please not here in Palawan' is the attitude some individuals and NGOs have taken. In the meantime, Espa¤ola town (site of the proposed cement plant) Mayor Iber Chou and Mayor Estanislao de las Alas of Quezon town, the Municipal Federation of nine (9) tribal chieftains, local government units of surrounding municipalities, NGOs, civic, PTTAs and concerned groups have not only endorsed the project through resolutions; they are fanning support for the project via public meetings and small groups discussions wherever and whenever possible.
The Domodoway Foundation, Inc., sited by the NGOs as vehemently opposed to the cement plant, of late, had been faltering and waivering with four of the elders admitting that "kung kami lang" (if it is only us), "hindi naman kami tutol" (we are not against). They said that the NGOs who have tried to organize them again only came when news of the proposed cement plant was being talked about. Originally they said, their friend Carlos and another lady companion Miss Lopez, helped them organize the Domodoway Foundation in the early 1980s ( the Carlos they mean here is Dr. Carlos Fernandez; Ms. Lopez is Lenggay Lopez, both anthropologists. Lenggay is now in the U.S.)
It is clear that, contrary to claims by the spokespersons of the opposition, the cement plant proposal has the support of the larger majority of the population of Palawan - most of the time, silent, as they cautiously watch from the bleachers, so to speak, curious about the final outcome of this controversy.
IT IS NOT SACRILEGE FOR THE PALAW'AN TO MOVE FROM ONE ABODE TO ANOTHER
There is something very interesting about the Palaw'an. As far they are concerned, the spirits of their ancestors are not land-based. In fact, now they tell their children stories about how in the past they lived in the coastal areas of Quezon town, until life `down there' became difficult. The lowlanders started pushing them from the coastal area. Their dislocation has been going on for decades, not because of any big project coming in; they were being dislocated by other people who bought their lands for a song, and who were more adept at facilitating the titling of properties, definitely more `educated' in the ways of a world which has become very unfamiliar to the Palaw'an. Today, on a clear day, the about 10 families which include Tito Mata, their acknowledged leader, can be seen in the mountains of Domodoway, going about their daily activities which would be classified by the statistics takers as very basic agriculture and gathering of forest products. On cold, rainy days and nights, they are huddled in a corner of their leaky shanties. Incidentally, Tito Mata's son is openly supportive of the cement plant proposal.
Spirits of ancestors when the tribal village decides to relocate due to a death of a loved one or to transfer to an area they consider `greener' are talked to according to Ms. Lopez,s thesis, and requested to travel with the living to the `new' area. For the Palaw'an, it is not sacrilege to move the spirits of their dead ancestors from one abode to another.
HOW WIDESPREAD IS THE RESISTANCE TO THE CEMENT PLANT PROPOSAL?
Surveys have been conducted by the proponents, the opposition, and the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development Staff (PCSDS). Individual writers have gone to the area and did their own interviews with the residents of affected areas. The surveys done have conflicting findings - each group claiming accuracy. This is not surprising for surveys - and planners know that as a tool for measuring social acceptability of projects, it is quite limited; and should only be used in combination with other methods.
The NGO network in Palawan through their spokespersons in the media and
their representatives in the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development have come out loud and clear about their objection to the cement plant. Recent reports coming from the members of the Palaw'an population of Espanola town tend to throw doubts to the claim of the NGOs of the unified stand of the Palaw'an against the cement plant project.
The Domodoway Foundation, Inc. has been legally dissolved, its Certificate of Registration had been revoked by the Securities and Exchange Commission. Technically, being a dissolved corporation, it has no legal capacity nor standing to file an opposition as a corporate entity. But, inspite of this, the PCSD has decided to listen to the acknowledged Domodoway Foundation leader Tito Mata who expressed his group's objection to the cement project. Senator Orlando Mercado, during the Senate Public Hearing which focused on this issue heard Mata as well as reminded everyone present that the Senate Committee is not closed to the project but would like to make sure it is sustainable.
Yazmin Arquiza, a Palawan-based investigative reporter said: "It seems strange that commercial logging is banned in Palawan and yet, officials are willing to allow commercial mining, which is even more destructive. Mining strips the mountains of trees as well as topsoil. This causes erosion and floods when the rains come, leading to poor harvests and siltation in the coastal areas. When agricultural and fisheries productivity are lowered because of environmental disasters, we face the specter of hunger and poverty."
"The situation turns into a vicious cycle when officials fail to recognize the long-term consequences of their decisions. Our experience with mining companies in Palawan shows that only a few people benefit from this industry, which leaves a trail of destruction in its wake"
Roland Rodriguez of the Central Palawan Mining and Industrial Corporation said: "If the cement plant project pushes through, the Palawan Government will, after the four-year tax exempt period earn about P500M a year; 20% would go to the province; 45% will go to the municipality; and 35% will go to the barangay".
Consultants to the cement plant project said that "There will be no substantial destruction of the mangrove allegedly found in the proposed pier site of the Palawan Cement Project. Presently, there are fishpens, fishponds erected in the proposed pier site and limited nipa palms being planted by local folks for roofing materials."
"Moreover, the mangrove are second growth, thereby placing them outside the ambit of applicable mangrove-related issuance. As part of the mitigating measures, the project proponent would rehabilitate a minimum of 50 hectares".
On August 4, Palawan Governor Salvador Socrates, in a letter to President Fidel Ramos said: "Based on the Environmental Impact Statement for the Palawan Cement Project conducted by the consulting firm, Gaia South, the project is environmentally clean. As a modern cement plant, it uses the state-of-the-art technology which meets Philippine and international standards. Its endorsement from majority of the stakeholders, both tribal and migrants, attest to its social acceptability".
He further said: "It has been verified to be economically viable, based on a cost-benefit analysis of its benefits to the host communities, even when environmental costs are considered. Such economic benefits will even be higher if agroforestry and mariculture programs are included in the analysis."
IS THIS A TREND?
There are, today, some glaring curiosities in Palawan. Observers note that some people fighting the cement plant project are the same people who fought the Strategic Environmental Plan's legitimization before. Their other targets are: capitalism, government, the oligarchy; very reminiscent of times and systems considered obsolete, analysts note. The big question is: Why?
(Note: Please address reactions and comments, to Palawan Buy and Sell,
Room 207 DBP Bldg., Rizal Ave., Puerto Princesa City 5300, Palawan,
Philippines.)
E-mail: urbanek@pal-onl.com |
