07/18/2021
...justifiable NO.
POSITION PAPER by the "NoTo174Dumaguete" Coalition
WHY WE OBJECT TO A 174-HECTARE ISLAND ALONG THE COAST OF DUMAGUETE
The City of Dumaguete is considering to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Quezon City-based construction company E.M. Cuerpo, Inc. with ties to a Chinese company to create a 174-
hectare off-shore island (more than twice the size of Apo Island) stretching along much of the coast of Dumaguete. The proposed concept, including an artificial island, touted as a “smart city” hosting a clubhouse, heliport, yacht club, retirement villas, high-rise commercial and residential buildings, malls, etc., has an estimated cost of P23 billion. We object to this massive reclamation project.
Dumaguete is our home. We are bound to it through our past experiences and through the communities that nurture us. For many of us, Dumaguete is the source of our identity. We are
attached to its green spaces, the beauty of its shores, its glorious sunrise over the sea—vistas that greeted Dr. Jose Rizal on the morning of his visit in 1896—the same landscape and seascape that we seek to preserve today. And so we object to a man-made island of concrete and steel disfiguring, like a huge blemish, the majestic panorama where the sea and sky meet.
The waters off the coast of Dumaguete are teeming with life, part of a system that supports more than 200 species of fish 1 upon which our people depend for sustenance 2 . Dumping millions of tons of rubble on 174 hectares (an area equivalent to more than 4,000 basketball courts) of seagrass beds, coral reefs, and shallow water wetlands will transform a wonderworld thriving with life into an underwater tomb. We fight to protect our biodiversity and so we object.
To build this island on our coral reefs, seagrass beds, and mudflats, millions of tons of sand, gravel, and soil will have to come from somewhere. Whether hauled down from our mountains and hills,
taken from quarries, extracted from our rivers, or dredged from the adjacent seafloor, the reclamation will ruin or worsen the damage to yet another habitat or ecosystem. The dredging will have transboundary impacts up and down the coast of Negros Oriental.
We object to the multiple destruction of our environment so that the rich and privileged can live in greater luxury. We object because we want to be true to our commitment to future generations as enshrined in our Constitution and executed in the Philippine Sustainable Development Goals 3 and AmBisyon Natin 2040 4 , among others. More than 20 years ago, Dumaguete legally established four marine protected areas (MPAs) off the coasts of Bantayan, Lo-oc, Mangnao, and Banilad. MPAs ensure a sustainable
supply of fish while conserving marine biodiversity and boosting tourism. The reclamation project threatens these MPAs so much so that some may end up ceasing to exist. 5
The construction of an island, including any dredging of the seafloor, destroys deeper ecosystems that sustain up to 84% of fish species caught by local fishers 5 and will release sediment plumes,
construction debris, and waste to areas well beyond the reclaimed area.6 We object because we want to defend the livelihood of 994 Dumaguetenon fisherfolks 7 , the food security of many Dumaguete residents who depend on fish for sustenance, and the homes, businesses, and well-being of 38,342 residents 8 of our coastal barangays—Banilad, Mangnao, Calindagan, Poblacion 1
(Tinago), Looc, Piapi and Bantayan.
We object because an unnatural island along the coast will concentrate malodorous pollutants from our canals and drains in the narrow stream of water between the coast and island. It will increase flooding in our low-lying coastal communities as the natural flow of rivers and creeks is disrupted. Reclamation will result in perpetual siltation of our waters. 9 We want to enjoy the waters of our coast, to prioritize the proper management of waste from our canals and drains with options on existing land, and to keep our rivers and creeks clean as they flow unimpeded to the sea.
Throughout the year, northeast and southwest winds cool the city, disperse air pollutants, and increase the comfort of residents during hot humid days. An island off the coast with tall commercial
and residential buildings will not only obstruct the cooling breezes and elevate pollutant levels but will create its own urban heat island effect characterized by high air and surface temperatures
during both day and night 10 . We object to a project that will reduce our air quality and further increase local ambient temperatures even as global temperatures rise to record levels.
We have been told that the island will be a “smart city” but a smart city is an informed city. The public was not informed of the unsolicited proposal by E.M. Cuerpo, nor of E.M. Cuerpo’s prior
arrangements with the Chinese company Poly Changda Overseas Engineering Co. 11 , nor of the negotiations between Dumaguete City and E.M. Cuerpo in February 2020 that led to a draft joint
venture agreement 12 . The announcement inviting other companies to submit a comparative proposal was published last April 2021 in Manila and not in Dumaguete. No information was given to the public and no community consultations were ever held before the draft agreement with E.M. Cuerpo was submitted to the City Council for approval. In the interest of good governance,
transparency, accountability, and in furtherance of the people’s constitutional right to information, we must object to a proposal about which the public has been kept in the dark.
We object to negotiations that obligates the city to conduct consultations “to promote acceptability of the project” 12 instead of conducting meaningful consultations that solicit the concerns of citizens and welcome their engagement in participatory decision-making.
We object to negotiations that compels the city “to protect … the Project against any objections” 12 which runs counter to our
constitutional right to freedom of speech and of expression, and to the right to petition the government for redress of grievances.
We object to the city entering into a Memorandum of Understanding on a project wherein 49% of the reclaimed land will be allocated to E.M. Cuerpo and wherein the sharing of revenues may not be fair. Who controls the access to the island and who will decide what businesses operate in the island? What will be the direct and indirect impacts of this exclusive island enclave on our local businesses and the current establishments fronting our coast? Will the project result in an increased cost of living in Dumaguete? Will the off-shore island aggravate traffic volume and congestion in the city? How can we account for the potential deterioration of aesthetic values and the cultural heritage of the city? Will environmental and social costs outweigh the claimed benefits, and will the benefits accrue to only a privileged few, including commercial interests outside of Dumaguete? These are questions that must be answered.
We are told that this is development but development for whom? Will the yacht club, retirement villas, geriatric center, high-rise residential towers, and clubhouse be affordable to the average
Dumagueteño? We believe in sustainable and equitable development—sustainable development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs 13 and a just development that is inclusive, ending poverty and hunger, ensuring the well-being of all, and reducing inequity.
We are told this is progress, but progress for whom? Much has been made about Dubai as a model, with its skyscrapers, high-end shops, and wealthy residential towers on artificial islands. But should our model be a country with one of the worst gaps between rich and poor, where the richest 1% owns over half of the country’s wealth, where the poverty rate is 19%, and where most migrant
workers who make up 88% of the population live below the poverty line? 14 We believe in progress that does not worsen inequality, where technology and productivity mean workers can spend more time with their families and enjoy the fruits of their labor, and where quality education and health care is accessible to all.
We are for shoreline protection but not the types of structures that further damage our environment and worsen flooding risks. Knowing that the Philippines is among the most vulnerable
countries in the world to climate change, we work for a resilient Dumaguete where vulnerable communities are protected from harm. We champion the restoration and nurturing of our
mangroves to reduce the impacts of waves and storm surges. We back interventions that take into account the expected sea-level rise of about 14.7 mm per year 15 for the coming decades due to
global warming. We encourage innovative non-structural bioengineering measures using natural materials. We support efforts for climate mitigation and adaptation including disaster risk reduction.
We call for respectful dialogue and meaningful public consultations that explore the social, cultural, ecological, and economic implications of this massive reclamation project. We call for the release and full public disclosure of plans, project description, cost estimates, and transactions involving the public interest for the sake of an informed electorate—a key part of a functioning democracy. We appeal to the Mayor and City Council to refrain from entering into agreements or to rescind agreements that preempt a full and vigorous discussion of the merits of a concept proposal whose consequences extend beyond our city and indeed, beyond our generation.
[A] sober look at our world shows that the degree of human intervention, often in the service of business interests and consumerism, is actually making our earth less rich and beautiful, ever more limited and grey …. We seem to think that we can substitute an irreplaceable and irretrievable beauty with something which we have created ourselves. What kind of world do we want to leave to those who come after us, to children who are now growing up? - Pope Francis 16
15 July 2021
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REFERENCES
1 Abesamis, R.A., J.A. Utzurum, L.J.J, Raterta and G.R. Russ. 2020. Shore-fish assemblage fish structure in the central
Philippines from shallow coral reefs to the mesophotic zone. Marine Biology 167 (12): 1-15.
2 Maypa, A.P. unpublished data.
3 Philippine Statistics Authority. Sustainable Development Goals. Accessed 15 July 2021 (https://psa.gov.ph/sdg)
4 AmBisyon Natin 2040, National Economic and Development Authority, 2016.
5 Alcala, A., McCann, B., Malayang, B., Calumpong,H., Abesamis, R., Oracion, E., Estacion, J. and Guinoo, G. (released July 10,
2021). We OPPOSE Building an Island in Front of Dumaguete. Statement of Silliman University, Dumaguete.
6 Emmanuel, J., Letter to DENR EMB Region VII Regional Director William C. Cuñado, September 17, 2019; see photos in the
letter showing sediment plumes from the Rizal Boulevard reclamation.
7 Information provided by the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Office, Dumaguete.
8 PhilAtlas. 2021.Dumaguete. Accessed 13 July 2021 (https://www.philatlas.com/visayas/r07/negros-
oriental/dumaguete.html?fbclid=IwAR1qyyPsLd88QLKLnhdl94KGd0nHPOPGfrBp4038Zus4vE03VNoXDHVP8dw).
9 Chou, L.M. 1996. Response of Singapore reefs to land reclamation. Galaxea 13: 85-82.
10 Rajagopalan, P., Lim, K.C., and Jamei, E. 2014. Urban heat island and wind flow characteristics of a tropical city. Solar
Energy 107, 159-170.
11 Amendment to the Memorandum of Understanding between E.M. Cuerpo, Inc. and Poly Changda Oversease Engineering
Co. Ltd., 27 February 2020.
12 Draft Joint Venture Agreement between the Local Government of Dumaguete City and E.M. Cuerpo, Inc. (no date).
13 Brundtland Commission of the United Nations. 1987. Our Common Future: Report of the World Commission on
Environment and Development.
14 Bradbury, C. 2020. 3 Aspects of Poverty in the United Arab Emirates. The Borden Project. Accessed 14 July 2021
(https://borgenproject.org/poverty-in-the-united-arab-emirates/); Long, J. 2018. Top 10 Facts About Poverty in the
United Arab Emirates. The Borden Project, September 16, 2018. Accessed 14 July 2021
(https://borgenproject.org/tag/income-inequality-in-the-united-arab-emirates/).
15 R. Rietbroek, R., Brunnabend, S-E., Kusche, J., Schröter, J. and Dahle, C. 2016. Revisiting the contemporary sea-level
budget on global and regional scales. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Vol. 113(6), 1504-1509.
16 Francis. 2015. LAUDATO SI’ of the Holy Father Francis on Care for our Common Home. Encyclical. Vatican Press, Rome
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