That hill

Standing resolutely over a vital channel, Caticlan Hill moderates the crisscrossing winds. But its fate now rests on crisscrossing interests swirling around an airstrip too short for the load it must bear.

As mentioned in a previous column, Caticlan Hill is now the site of a battle between hardy environmentalists pitted against large corporate as well as political interests. That “hill”, if we might call it that, is a slight rise in the land formation right at the end of the Caticlan runway.

Landform specialists have concluded that the hill performs a crucial role in producing the fine white sand that has made Boracay beach the seductive destination that it has become. The hill is a barrier that moderates both the habagat and the amihan, creating micro-climatic conditions favorable to the formation of the Boracay beach. Take away the hill and harsh winds will move waters in the precarious channel more rudely.

Instead of accumulating fine ground coral on the famous beach, the rude waters could wipe it away. The gentle waters in the area enable the rare coral sand of Boracay that does not burn the feet even in the hottest days.

The hill is now under threat. San Miguel Corporation has won the rights to upgrade the tiny Caticlan airport that is a main entry point for hordes of tourists heading to Boracay. Although an environmental clearance certificate has been issued for the upgrade, it speaks of a domestic airport, not an international air facility.

Although not explicitly stipulated in the environmental clearance certificate, the extension of the runway will mean bulldozing the hill, leveling it completely so that the airstrip will run through. The ecologists say this will alter the microclimate of the area and probably lead to extinction of Boracay — whose lure is the reason why the airport is being upgraded in the first place.

The provincial government of Aklan is not opposed to upgrading the Caticlan airport. But it is firmly opposed to building this up to the grade of an international airport. They favor improving the air facility so long as it remains domestic grade.

The reason for the opposition has nothing to do with the microclimate of the area. Aklan province is nursing the Kalibo international airport, seeing this as the hub for a tourism circuit including all provinces in Panay Island. If its own tourism strategic plan prevails, Kalibo will be a busy hub servicing tourist flow to several destinations, Boracay included.

The present governor has plans of building a large leisure estate in Kalibo, featuring a marina and possibly fast craft that can ferry tourists to Boracay in 15 minutes. If investments are found and this plan is carried out, it could seriously undercut the business the Caticlan airport might be capable of generating.

Conversely, a Caticlan International Airport could as well undercut the business of the Kalibo Marina estate, or whatever that facility will be called. At any rate, the Aklan provincial government is not fighting to save the hill. It is fighting to save its place on the tourism map, along with the viability of its projected marina.

Investors in the various tourist establishments on Boracay itself are of two minds regarding the extension of the Caticlan runway. As it stands, the runway is far too short to be safe, considering that during high season the facility services over 48 flights a day. They are happy the Caticlan airport will be improved because this will help increase tourist traffic to the overbuilt island resort.

On the other hand, they are aware of the studies that have been done linking the Caticlan hill to the quality of sand on Boracay’s beach. They fear that if the hill is taken out, their precious sand might disappear with it.

The people of Caticlan are of two minds as well. They welcome the upgrading of the airport. It will make their sleepy little village a bustling and prosperous place. Imagine, a tiny village having its own international airport.

On the other hand, they fret over the noise the planes will make, the influx of strangers coming in to work in the place and, yes, the apparent connection between the hill and the sand across the channel. This little settlement will be completely swamped by an international airport. That will both put Caticlan on the map and wipe it off the face of the earth.

To be sure, the Caticlan runway has to be extended. Taking the runway out to sea will entail much larger expense than taking down the hill on one end of the present facility. In order to extend the runway to the sea, much piling will have to be done. Reclamation is always a costly proposition and, in this case might make very little business sense.

At any rate, a separate set of environmental issues attend the extension seawards of the runway. Water flow in the tiny channel will be impeded. Marine life will be disturbed. Who knows what else happens when water behavior in the area is altered by the construction of a runway into the sea.

We have here a classic case of ecology versus overdevelopment. We are talking here of building a four-kilometer runway to serve as entry point to a world-famous four-kilometer beachfront.

San Miguel has all the cards here. The corporation can choose to more closely study the scientific documents being presented by advocates of environmental protection and revise its plans accordingly. Or, the corporation can just ignore the ecological warning signs and move on business as usual, looking only at the profits to be made.

If an environmental tragedy is produced here, that will diminish an old corporation’s brand equity. At any rate, the fate of Caticlan hill will probably be decided in San Miguel’s boardroom.

The more chilling thought, however, is that San Miguel might go right ahead, build the facility on rights it now holds and then flip it over to the next highest bidder — washing its corporate hands of whatever legacy costs there might be to this particular development.