Devastation. Environmentalists led by Sonny Dobles (with paper) and local residents check on the continuing scraping of a mountain top at the Donggwang golf development project in Clark.
Contributed photo
CLARK FREEPORT – Long ago leased, promises made, the tribal communities relocated. Still, no developments.
Not even a single post erected, Aeta leaders are now seeing “phantom development” at the area they were told would give rise to a world-class resort and leisure complex.
Robert Serrano, leader of the Aeta community in Marcos Village, Mabalacat City said BB International Leisure and Resort Development Corporation (BBI) has yet to show any development in the area which is part of their ancestral lands despite leasing it almost seven years ago.
BBI leased 200 hectares of the so called Clark Highlands from the CDC in 2006 which included the Gate 14 area of this freeport in the northwest perimeter fence where Serrano said they were displaced.
But Franco Madlangbayan, CDC Vice President for Operations and Technical Services, said the leased area will soon be developed as per the commitment of BBI President Irineo “Bong” Alvaro.
Madlangbayan also denied the displacement of the Aeta community in the area saying “there was free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) from the Aeta communities affected by the BBI.”
He said the FPIC was granted on July 26, 2007 and a Certificate of Compliance was issued by the National Commission on Indigenous People (NCIP) on July 12, 2007.
Madlangbayan said the CDC has secured all the necessary documents as required by the Indigenous Peoples Rights Act (IPRA).
However, Serrano said they have waited long enough from the time they were displaced and could hardly make a living. He said they were promised a lot of things by BBI but nothing was delivered including the construction of a hanging bridge across the river.
Serrano recalled that during the height of the southwest monsoon or habagat last year, the hanging bridge was swept by rampaging waters of the river where Aeta tribal leader Renato Pan and his son were trying to cross.
Pan was killed but his son survived the ordeal and was fished out of the river downstream at the Fontana area.
Pan’s body was later recovered further downstream in Concepcion, Tarlac.
Serrano said CDC has approved the construction of the hanging bridge in an earlier agreement but sadly, nothing has ever been done until today.
He noted that scholarship grants and health centers promised by BBI were never given to them.
Serrano said they have to travel by foot from Sitios Kalapi to Kalumpang which is about eight kilometers of rugged mountainous terrain to reach the highway in Barangay Dolores, Mabalacat City if BBI will construct a golf course in their leased area.
The Bangko Sentral Ng Pilipinas’ (BSP) report in 2006 on Regional Developments in the Philippines cited the BBI and said “tourism is expected to be bullish following the rise in investments for the construction of hotels, resorts, recreation, amusement, entertainment, casino and other tourism-related projects in Clark Special Economic Zone.”
“The BB International Leisure infused P2 billion in investments for these projects,” the BSP report said.
BBI is planning to build hotels, casinos, amusement and other related businesses in their leased area.
