Ecological warning aired on Caticlan airport project

MANILA, Philippines - A land form specialist of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has warned that leveling the hill at the Caticlan Airport in Aklan will lead to ecological disaster in the world famous beach of Boracay island. The airport is the gateway to Boracay resort.

Dr. Ric Javellosa of the Mines and Geosciences Bureau under the DENR, made the assessment after learning that the government will remove the hill as part of the expansion and upgrading of the Caticlan Airport into a international airport amounting to P2.5 billlion. Javelosa said doing so will lead to “micro-climatic change” or disappearance of the entire white beaches around Caticlan and Boracay reportedly within 20 years.

Javelosa explained that leveling the hill and doing earthworks for expansion will result in land and water quality deterioration, erosion and sedimentation.“

The existing domestic airport and proposed expansion into international airport rest on environmentally sensitive landforms,” the morphology expert said.

Javelosa said the expansion and upgrading of the existing airport into international will trigger environmental disasters of coral and beach zone, deface the terrain, degrade the healthy forest, and dislocate upland dwellers and the deterioration of wetland and water quality.

He said the Caticlan airport, in present location, is not fit for upgrading due to high potentiality to local tsunami and highly subject to variable ground shaking. According to Javelosa, Boracay island has excellent micro-climatic conditions which are responsible for the formation and replenishment of its world renowned powdery white sand, Javelosa said.

He said that a major contributor to the existence of micro-climate in Boracay is the presence of the hill being targeted for leveling by the developer of the proposed Caticlan International Airport.

Javelosa and his men are conducting an environmental and geological study of both Caticlan and Boracay islands, focusing on local and micro hydro-meteorology.