Getting broke over Brooke's

Going to Brooke’s Point in Palawan is like running away from El Nido, undoubtedly one of the most popular destinations of foreigners to this narrow island known for being home to some of the most unique flora and fauna in the world.

Almost at the southern tip of Palawan, Brooke’s Point is no celebrity material and had held no particular media curiosity – until recently when the activist daughter of one of the country’s more influential media moguls was dragged into a case for allegedly desecrating tribal land.

Gina Lopez, who is alternatively known as a passionate anti-mining activist in Palawan, is being accused together with ABS-CBN’s Bantay Kalikasan Foundation of trampling Brooke’s Point’s sacred grounds by constructing an ecotourism camp.

It had been reported that Brooke’s Point Federation of Tribal Councils (BPFTC), a Palawan tribal group, had filed a complaint with the Palawan Council for Sustainable Development (PCSD) against Bantay Kalikasan as represented by Lopez for allegedly forcing its way into ancestral land without consultation and consent.

Furthermore, the accusers alleged that Bantay Kalikasan, without permission from the ancestral land owners, cut down 25 trees that supposedly were holding up the banks where the Sabsaban Falls flows. The trees were then used to partly construct facilities for the Bantay Kalikasan Eco-Academy, an eco-tourism joint project with the municipal government of Brooke’s Point and the ABS-CBN Foundation, aimed at the preservation of Brooke’s Point rich biodiversity and cultural heritage of native Palaw’ans.

Gina’s response

Lopez has been sending me regular updates of the case, which this column had given space in the past. Here is another one that contains some new statements from her. Gina says:

“As you know, there have been articles written against our Brooke’s Point Eco-Academy Project in Palawan. I would just like to inform you that there is no cease-and-desist order. In fact, we just had our first management council meeting chaired by the mayor of Brooke’s Point.

“The council is membered by the Sanggunihan Bayan, the barangay captains of Ipilan and Aribungo, a member of the Church, an NGO representative serving the community near the area, academe (Palawan State University) and the president of the tourism council of Brookes Point.

“A cease-and-desist is valid if there is danger to the environment or people’s lives. In this case, the project is hiring 49 forest rangers to guard the forest, benefitting 90 families, helping them with forest products.

“I question the motives of PCSD in their intentions. There is mining on top of the rice fields of Palawan and abandoned mine sites all over the island. Why have they not stopped these operations? Now they want to stop these operations which are benefitting the people?

“The current crop of PCSD has totally lost its credibility to govern. They are even going against the very mandate they have been tasked with. They are using their authority to hit back (a case was filed against them in the Ombudsman because of the degradation I saw with my own eyes while flying for two hours over Palawan).

“When governance like this is suspect, then the people’s welfare is adversely affected.”

More counter arguments

Bantay Kalikasan, the foundation, has also been actively trying to communicate its side in this controversy amidst what it feels is a bombardment of negative publicity against Lopez by companies with interest in Philippine mining.

On behalf of Lopez, the foundation is accusing PCSD and its executive director, Romeo B. Dorado, of spreading false information about what had happened at Brooke’s Point and for representing an indigenous group that does not really have Palawan’s environment to heart.

In the case filed by PCSD in BPFTC’s stead, Dorado had said that there was an “overwhelming video and photo evidence” of the cutting of sacred trees by Bantay Kalikasan on the Sabsaban Falls’ banks. And this statement, Bantay Kalikasan feels, is misleading.

A closer scrutiny of the photos and video, according to Bantay Kalikasan, shows that it was the representatives of the local government, the Community Environment and Natural Resources (CENRO) and DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources), who carried out the clearing of hazardous dead and dying trees at Brooke’s point.

Thus, Bantay Kalikasan adds, it could not possibly have cut down any trees as alleged. In fact, how could it have done so when the foundation has always prided itself with having reforested thousands of hectares of land at the La Mesa watershed area.

‘Indigenous’ rights

Regarding the persona of BPFTC, Bantay Kalikasan argues that this tribal group does not really have the desire to protect the environment after having endorsed mining in Mt. Matalingahan. Furthermore, the Foundation argues that this group of indigenous people (IP) has been remiss in cleaning up the Sabsaban Falls area of broken bottles, cigarette butts and garbage.

And so, as far as Bantay Kalikasan is concerned, it feels it has the support of true and real IPs who are ready to accept and embrace ecotourism as a better alternative form of livelihood instead of endorsing and supporting mining in their area.

Bantay Kalikasan furthermore defends itself by saying that its environment camp will provide jobs for families of the tribal groups as well as other ordinary folk in the area while protecting the natural environment.

PCSD has been saying that it is only exercising its legal and moral duty based on a complaint filed by BPFTC, and that the committee’s interest is only what is for the good of Brooke’s Point and Palawan.

Search for solution

It’s interesting how these two groups have both taken the cudgels to represent the welfare of the local community as well as the environment of this already highly eco-politicized island.

Is there a better solution to resolve this issue lest this municipality, its people and perhaps even the environment may eventually lose out should this debate get out of hand and becomes a full blown conflict?

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