by Gabrielle Anne S. Endona and Mark Kevin P. Reginio
Feedmix only needs
building permit, MOA
Standing tall is the main building of Feedmix’ hatchery project. Its operation shutdown temporarily after local residents discovered its illegal construction in 2012.
A Municipal Planning and Development officer of Bolinao said Feedmix Specialist Inc., the aquaculture company which proposed the building of a hatchery in Patar, only needs to secure a building permit before it can continue with its operation.
According to the office, which takes care of the economic, social, and physical plans in Bolinao, the Feedmix has already secured the endorsements from the Department of Tourism and the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources.
In October 2015, the company received an environmental compliance certificate from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Environmental Management Bureau leaving them with only one certification from the Municipal Engineering Office.
Earlier that year, it was able to get the approval of the Sangguniang Bayan of Bolinao on July 16 after three public hearings and after the Sangguniang Barangay of Patar gave its endorsement.
A look at the inside of the hatchery. Plants have grown tall since the shutdown of the project.
Atty. Juan Ayar Montemayor, secretary of Sangguniang Bayan, said the council predominantly voted in favor of the project with only one dissenting vote.
According to him, while the opposition thinks that Patar is not a suitable place for a hatchery because it is intended to be a special eco-tourism zone, they believe that the location is immaterial.
“The location of the project was not very sort of, yun bang parang material yung location doon sa project na iyon,” he said.
“The proponents are also saying their hatchery project has a tourism potential… because the public is allowed to enter the hatchery and understand how a hatchery works and what activities are being done in a hatchery,” he added.
The Sangguniang Bayan in 2005 declared the towns of Patar and Ilog-Malino as special eco-tourism zones in accordance with the Coastal Development Plan (CDP) of Bolinao.
However, the local government and Feedmix will still convene to draft a memorandum of agreement that will contain terms and conditions of the project.
Strong disapproval
However, residents of Patar strongly oppose the construction of the hatchery especially when Feedmix started building in 2012 without the permission from the local government.
Two mass demonstrations were staged by the locals from 2015 to 2016 to express their dismay to the project and to the local government’s approval.
Ronnie Torres, president of Bolinao Hotel, Resort, Restaurant Owners’ Association, said the Feedmix doesn’t have any right to erect a hatchery in Patar because it is only intended for tourism.
“Immediately [after the cement issue] nag-technical work… ang mayor to draft the CDP of Bolinao kaya especially for ecotourism zone talagang intended for ecotourism zone siya (Patar),” he said.
“Kung baga, [kung] nasa isang lugar maglagay ka ng inidoro sa salas,” he even joked.
Sun sets beautifully in one of the beach resorts in Patar. The town is known for its pristine beaches and crystal-like sand.
Torres also questioned the sincerity of Feedmix since it has changed its proposal three times already.
Feedmix’ proposal in 2014 was a feed mill project which they eventually changed to a hatchery in 2015 and later to an eco-learning adventures and a corporate social responsibility project to include the education and the labor sector.
Meanwhile, the Bolinao Environmental Stewards of Tourism, which is composed of business owners, tour guides, vendors, drivers, and the youth sector, was able to get 1,980 signatures from local residents who are against the hatchery which they submitted to the local government on May 28, 2015.
It will only destroy the sea
Aside from big business owners, small beach cottage owners also expressed their dissent against the construction of the hatchery.
Jennifer Obinario, 32, who owns a beach cottage and a fish diver said the water waste that the hatchery would emit would greatly affect the sea which is their source of food.
“Ngayon kung anu-ano po yung nakakain namin na nakukuha sa dagat baka after five years, kapag natuloy nga yung hatchery, baka hindi na [namin] makain,” she said.
Obinario also fears that the hatchery would also affect the number of tourists who visit their beach.
This crystal clear water may soon turn into a hazy stream if the hatchery continued its operation according to UP MSI.
“Yung beach po, yung nililiguan po ng mga customer namin baka madumi na kung halimbawa man na matuloy itong hatchery,” she said.
According to UP Marine Science Institute (MSI) Assistant Professor Patrick Cabaitan, although the proponents are saying that the wastewater is already “filtered” it still has effects to the bodies of water especially the creatures living in it.
“Kung hindi masunod yung closed system, halimbawa hindi nila ma-control yung feeds, tataas yung nutrient level ng water… so mas [bibilis] tumubo yung plants. Kung ganoon ang mangayayari, yung mga corals may not be able to cope with that situation,” he said.
“Magiging polluted yung area. Yung corals initially will die and then consequently fish community [will] decrease,” he added.
A brief timeline of the events surrounding the proposed hatchery. As of press time, Feedmix Specialist Inc. is yet to secure a building permit, after which the hatchery will be allowed to push through.