Is paranoia eating up opponents of the Panglao reclamation project? This question was raised by many Panglao residents in the wake of the haste in which it is being disposed of in the respective legislative bodies. “First, the Sangguniang Bayan reversed its previous stand on the project without the benefit of any explanation. The provincial followed with the same haste and with no explanations given,” a Panglao resident said. A source who declined to be identified like the first one said the suspicious haste in disposing of the project in the two legislative bodies point to the powerful lobby waged against the project by resort owners. “There is no basis for the resistance of the resort owners to the project except the fear that their businesses will be affected,” the first resident said.

He noted that contrary to their claims of environmental concerns, most of the resorts are guilty of violating environmental laws. “One cannot be an environmentalist when it concerns others while committing violations in his own resort,” he added. The same resident also dismissed the claims that there was lack of transparency in the conduct of the project saying that on the contrary the reclamation has been a victim of every conceivable disinformation and black propaganda. Unfortunately for them, the source said the deception employed against the project by people who suffer from credibility crisis have worked to the advantage of the project. “Many people in Panglao who were initially opposed to the project are now willing to listen to the project proponents if they are not yet in favor of it,” he added.

The first reason is that most of its critics are already discredited so anything that they oppose becomes even more attractive. At the same time, the source said the excessive use of political clout has generated sympathy for the project. “They made the reclamation project the underdog which drives many people to it,” he added. On the other hand, the second resident said the rush in disposing of the project shows the bias that has no place in public service. “How did they arrive at the conclusion against the project when they did not yet hear its side?” he asked. The second resident said that until such time that the officials are given a formal briefing, all the information that they have are tantamount to hearsay. “They should not make hasty conclusions and take categorical stands based on hearsay,” he added.

A political observer meanwhile said the raw treatment that the reclamation project has been getting from ruling politicians betray a paranoia that could work to its advantage. “Three flagship projects that stand to benefit thousands of Boholanos are in danger of being shelved not because they are not good but because they are politically disastrous to certain politicians,” the observer said without elaborating. Considering that these projects can benefit many people, those who are blocking them are in danger of the political backlash from the intended beneficiaries.