snake island and news from palawan
unfortunately, i didn't get to go to any tourist spots because from early morning till night we were at the office, trying to grasp the fundamentals of environmental economics and resource valuation, from thursday till sunday. the only time i was outdoors was when we did fieldwork at snake island in honda bay, and when we did a Willingness-To-Pay (WTP) survey last monday in puerto princesa's coastal barangays. i was EXHAUSTED. to top it off, when i got home yesterday, i couldn't find my house keys so instead of resting, i decided to do some errands until my landlord could drop by and open the door for me.
well, at least i got to eat at ima's gulay bar (great vegetarian restaurant. i asked the owner if she wanted me to feature the place because i was so happy with the food), kamarikutan, and the viet ville.
snake island was BEAUTIUL. we used the place as a case study because some investors are planning to put up a "world-class resort" on the island. but really, it's so small! it's little more than a sandbar with some mangroves on the side. i don't know how they plan to fit 300 hotel rooms there. problem is, the project is very much supported by mayor hagedorn and Gloria. the fisherfolk are opposing it because it's practically the only place in honda bay where anyone can still go and enjoy the beach. all the other "islands" (really sandbars) have been claimed by resort owners. snake island is near dos palmas (of rico yan and abu sayyaf fame), and the boatmen aren't allowed to go to that area anymore unless they pay.
also, the villagers in honda bay can't just swim in the waters near their houses because a mining company reclaimed part of the bay for a jetty using filling materials contaminated with mercury. so they can't even eat the fish and shells in the area (i think within an 800-m radius of the jetty).
incidentally, while i was in palawan, our office there was busy becuase on the same day, different ELAC staff in different areas confiscated two white-breasted sea eagles from some fisherman (it's illegal to capture them, especially when you'll sell them to foreigners) and two chainsaws (also illegal for cutting forests. you need a license to have one under the Chainsaw Act). plus there was a fishkill, too, in another town, which the community members attributed to a nickel mining/refining operation (Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corp.) because it hadn't happened in the area before. at the same time, there was a meeting going on for the Shell Malampaya Natural Gas multipartite monitoring team. they discovered that the operation was releasing effluents WAY beyond the standards set for industrial waters, and yet nobody thought it was important to try to correct it. Palawan is really rich in natural resources--and proportionally, in environmental problems.
i'll post photos of snake island as well as an article on that once i'm settled into the office. really, it's paradise. and yes, i have to scan photos of boracay, too, and the magrove park in kalibo and the falls in tanglan, aklan. as for touring palwan, i guess i'll have to save that for another trip =P
well, at least i got to eat at ima's gulay bar (great vegetarian restaurant. i asked the owner if she wanted me to feature the place because i was so happy with the food), kamarikutan, and the viet ville.
snake island was BEAUTIUL. we used the place as a case study because some investors are planning to put up a "world-class resort" on the island. but really, it's so small! it's little more than a sandbar with some mangroves on the side. i don't know how they plan to fit 300 hotel rooms there. problem is, the project is very much supported by mayor hagedorn and Gloria. the fisherfolk are opposing it because it's practically the only place in honda bay where anyone can still go and enjoy the beach. all the other "islands" (really sandbars) have been claimed by resort owners. snake island is near dos palmas (of rico yan and abu sayyaf fame), and the boatmen aren't allowed to go to that area anymore unless they pay.
also, the villagers in honda bay can't just swim in the waters near their houses because a mining company reclaimed part of the bay for a jetty using filling materials contaminated with mercury. so they can't even eat the fish and shells in the area (i think within an 800-m radius of the jetty).
incidentally, while i was in palawan, our office there was busy becuase on the same day, different ELAC staff in different areas confiscated two white-breasted sea eagles from some fisherman (it's illegal to capture them, especially when you'll sell them to foreigners) and two chainsaws (also illegal for cutting forests. you need a license to have one under the Chainsaw Act). plus there was a fishkill, too, in another town, which the community members attributed to a nickel mining/refining operation (Rio Tuba Nickel Mining Corp.) because it hadn't happened in the area before. at the same time, there was a meeting going on for the Shell Malampaya Natural Gas multipartite monitoring team. they discovered that the operation was releasing effluents WAY beyond the standards set for industrial waters, and yet nobody thought it was important to try to correct it. Palawan is really rich in natural resources--and proportionally, in environmental problems.
i'll post photos of snake island as well as an article on that once i'm settled into the office. really, it's paradise. and yes, i have to scan photos of boracay, too, and the magrove park in kalibo and the falls in tanglan, aklan. as for touring palwan, i guess i'll have to save that for another trip =P
poor villagers, not many profit from the natural resource eh? all go to outsiders.... n these outsiders leave the crap they created behind.
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