DEEP CUT. Donggwang construction cuts through a mountain. Photos by Ric Gonzales
CLARK FREEPORT – “The national government through its agencies is the protector of the destroyer of the environment.”
Thus said Advocacy for the Development of Central Luzon (ADCL) President Sonny Dobles as he assailed anew the Clark Development Corp. (CDC) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the on-going construction of the $400-million Korean tourism estate project and golf course here.
The 36-hole golf course of the Donggwang Clark Corporation (DCC) required the shaving of “huge” portion of a mountain at the Northwestern portion of Clark, said Dobles.
He alleged that at least 20,000 trees were destroyed since the DCC was leased 304 hectares at Clark in 2010 for its Donggwang Sunvalley Leisure Community (DSLC) project.
The CDC earlier said 128 non-endemic trees were cut and “no more trees will be cut.”
Dobles showed to Punto the back portion of the DCC’s golf course in Sitio Target, Sapang Bato, Angeles City.
He said massive destruction of the mountain was done and “the killing of the mountain and trees continues.”
Trucks were seen passing by at the road constructed within the DCC’s golf course area visible from Sapang Bato, one of the two barangays of Angeles City adjacent to Clark.
“Only 128 trees were cut? Tell that to the marines. Look at the thickly forested area around the golf course,” said Dobles pointing to the construction site separated by the Sapang Bato Creek from where he was standing on Sunday.
BROWN WATER
Residents of Mabalacat and Angeles cities complained about the alleged erosion of the mountain where the DCC is constructing the golf course scheduled to be open on January 2013.
In an executive briefing on DCC given by the CDC last week, it added that entire 36 holes will be ready by July 2013.
Diosdado Pangilinan, board chairman of the Mabalacat Water District, said he had seen “brown-colored water under the San Felipe bridge for the past several days since it rained last week.”
He said that water flowing at major creeks in Mabalacat City, including the area of San Felipe, “has always been colorless for as long as I can remember since early childhood.”
Pangilinan said he had also seen a portion of mountain “cut” at the property of a race track at Clark.
“I believe it’s coming from there (race track) and probably in other areas where mountains were cut. Of course, the sand is from Clark,” he added.
Tricycle drivers at Sapang Bato said “brown waters have been coming out at the creek for many days in July.”
“The water with brown sand appears massively when it’s raining,” they added in the dialect.
Dobles showed the area at Little Baguio, Sapang Bato where brown sands flow with water under a hanging bridge. Little Baguio is at the lower portion of Sitio Target.
Dobles said the Sapang Bato Creek is near the DCC’s construction site and the brown sand comes from it.
He also showed the Caluang Creek in the same area where water is also colorless. Calaung is at the west portion of Clark while the Sapang Bato Creek starts from the Northwestern area.
“The water at Caluang Creek comes from Porac town and not from the area of the DCC golf course,” said Dobles.
On July 30, CDC Environment Management Department (EMD) Manager Juan Miguel B. Fuentes called up Punto and said his superior at CDC had asked him to forward all questions to the CDC public relations department (PRD).
He added that new set of questions sent by this reporter on Sunday evening will be answered by the CDC-PRD.
On July 11, more than two weeks before the story on the DCC project was published in Punto, the CDC-PRD issued statements to journalists via e-mail.
It said the project was generally safe and it was even cited and praised by the DENR’s Environment Management Bureau (EMB) Regional Director Lormelyn Claudio.
The DCC, the Philippine subsidiary of Donggwang Construction, is expecting to complete the world-class DSLC estate in 2016.
It reportedly consists of a 36-hole golf course, clubhouse, 330-room condominium, water park, spa and gymnasium, ecopark, business center, international school, golf academy and driving range, medical clinic and drug store, hotel, casino, 500-unit villa, and shopping arcade.
