LINGAYEN–Residents of communities covered by an eco-tourism project here have reaffirmed their support for the big-ticket venture “because we know it will improve our quality of life through job opportunities and other decent sources of income.”

The manifestations of support to the development of an eco-tourism zone which includes an 18-hole golf course on a 264-hectare government property in this town during a multi-sector interaction covered by media representatives.

The villagers, led by their respective barangay chairmen slammed attempts by certain quarters to derail the project without offering an alternative for the affected families who stand to lose the chance of a lifetime to improve their lives.

The concerned village chiefs—Mario Navarro of barangay Estanza, Dionisio Flores Jr of Capandanan, Delfin Velasco of Malimpuec, and Hector Fabiana of Sabangan—declared that their respective constituents were unanimously in favor of the eco-tourism project.

The barangay leaders recalled that their constituents turned out en masse for the ground-breaking rites graced by former President Fidel V. Ramos and Gov. Amado Espino Jr. two years ago.

“Ang pagdalo naming lahat sa naturang okasyon ay katumbas ng aming pinagsamang pananaw sa maunlad at tahimik na kinabukasan ng aming mga pamilya,” Navarro said.

Navarro and his colleagues stressed that the development of the golf course and a recreation complex in the area “will not destroy our communities, but will even protect us against storms or killer waves owing to the construction of a seawall, and the projected growth of vegetation which would make the soil more firmly in place.”

Pangasinan provincial administrator Rafael Baraan clarified that although the civil works required human intervention into the natural ground cover and the natural foliage, the developers have been taking extreme caution to minimize adverse effects to the ecosystem.

Baraan pointed out that under the development plan being implemented by a Korean contractor, “the natural beauty of the Lingayen coast adjacent to the project site would not only be preserved, but would even be enhanced by fresh vegetation on new fertile soil that would take the place of barren, inhospitable ground.”

He added that everything that is happening in the area is only for the sole purpose of developing the eco-tourism zone including the proposed golf course.

Baraan said, “We did not go there looking for magnetite sand.  It just happens that in a particular portion of the proposed golf course, black sand was discovered to have hindered the growth of suitable vegetation.”

He quoted project engineers as saying the development of the golf course site could not be completed without clearing the area of unwanted materials such as black sand and lahar that adversely affect the growth of grass.

“A special variety of grass has to be planted to develop the golf course,” he said.

In terms of concrete and continuing environmental protection and preservation efforts, the provincial administrator said that the Espino administration has been conducting massive dismantling of illegal fishing structures, dredging operations of silted rivers and integrated coastal resource management.

“We have propagated 269,957 multi-species mangrove seedlings and 439,242 fruit and forest tree seedlings,” Baraan said.

He bared that from these seedlings, the provincial government initiated mangrove reforestation in 28 hectares of coastal areas stretching to 57 kms of riverbanks with a total of 183,683 seedlings planted.

Baraan said that these environmental efforts have earned for the province the Hall of Fame Award as the Best Project Implementer in Coastal Resource Management in Region I for three consecutive years from 2008 to 2010 and the Likas Yaman Award from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources for environmental excellence and governance in 2011.

Finally, Baraan said that the provincial government invested a lot for the development of the eco-tourism zone.  “Why will we allow it to be destroyed?  That defies the logic,” he stressed. (PIO)

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