Making a mountain out of Caticlan hill

A group calling itself the Earthsavers Movement has come out against the expansion of Caticlan Airport, gateway to Boracay Island.

They claim that the project, which will involve the construction of a world-class terminal and runway that can accommodate larger aircraft, will involve levelling an important hill. I have it from a source familiar with the project that the hill will not even be demolished at all. Kaunting tapyas lang, for aviation safety.

According to their PR blitz, the hill prevents harsh winds from dumping soil on Boracay’s white, sandy beaches. Without it, they claim, the island paradise would turn into a muddy shore and wipe out this world renowned tourist destination.

Why, in its right mind, would any business entity want to invest in a project that will wipe out its bread and butter?

Many are beginning to wonder if all this noise has anything to do with another airport project proposed for Boracay?

Proponents of that project are probably worried their investment will crash once Caticlan takes off.

An all-out offensive then, makes sense for them.

If they can’t get their project to fly, all the speculation about Caticlan can at least raise their doomed property’s value in time for a sale.

But suppose, for argument’s sake, their issues are valid.

A study by Test Consultants Inc., the firm hired by the province of Aklan in 2004 to do the environmental impact assessment (EIA) for the project, still proves them wrong.

According to the study, average wind direction in the area since 1971 is either northeasterly (from the northeast) or southerly (from the south).

The island is in the upper northwest. There is no way winds will carry soil that will destroy Boracay’s white sandy beaches.

The project’s environmental compliance certificate (ECC) has also been questioned. They claim it did not go through consultation with public officials.

But in the case of Caticlan, numerous consultations, discussions, surveys, and interviews with public officials and other stakeholders were done at the same time the EIA was being prepared.

The DENR gave it an ECC in July 2006 — or 2 1⁄2 years after the EIA began.

Surely they’re not suggesting that the small battalion of experts in geology, geophysics, weather, water, environment, sociology, and community development who worked on it for more than a year, are all liars?

Divide and conquer

The ongoing battle for control of the Manila North Harbor has left a group of shipping lines operating at the port divided on the issue.

Sources say the latest demolition job against Harbour Centre of the Romeo family only has the support of three of the seven members of the Philippine Liner and Shipping Association (PLSA). The other shipping lines have opted to remain neutral.

Sadly though, these minority members of PLSA are considered in the shipping industry as laggards.

Other PLSA members opted not to join because they do not want to be used as pawns in the minority’s fight simply because one of their own lost in last year’s bidding for the modernization effort.

The latest foray of these three rogue shipping lines apparently does want to drive a wedge between Harbour Centre Port Terminal, Inc. and its partner Metro Pacific Investments Corp. (MPIC).

The business community is not happy with the way these minority shipping companies are conducting their nasty media assault on the Manila North Harbour Ports Inc. (MNHPI), the joint venture company between HCPTI and MPIC.  Especially since two of these three shipping lines have checkered pasts when it comes to safety and the handling of labor.

The demolition job is feeding on recent news that MPIC wants a higher stake in MNHPI. These three members of the PLSA, using the association as a front, have come out with statements supporting MPIC’s continued investments in MNHPI.

Whether or not MPIC should get a majority stake in MNHPI is a business matter that should be left for the partners to decide.

Analysts say that this latest PR blitz simply just wants the public to believe that these minority group within PLSA is supporting the privatization of the Manila North Harbor. But the fact of the matter is that whether it is MPIC and HCPTI that has majority control of North Harbor, there are shipping operators that want the port for themselves and that for decades now, these operators have misused and abused the port, using it as if it was their own container yard.

Unless we forget, there are also non-PLSA members (37 shipping lines with 44 vessels) who would rather not intervene with the matter.

Even PLSA chair Daniel ‘Bitay’ Lacson has reportedly refused to join the rogue members’ “last-minute sabotage operation” against MNHPI.

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