This was the position taken by fisher folks in three Panglao barangays directly concerned by the proposed reclamation project. Residents of Barangays Poblacion, Doljo and Danao have been actively demanding the conduct of an environmental study to deter-mine once the environmental impact of the project. The three villages are set to be directly affected by the proposed reclamation project of Oasis Leisure Island Development Inc. (OLIDI) which has openly presented the project to the concerned residents. “We are demanding an honest-to-goodness com-prehensive environmental study,” residents in the three villages declared. The residents said they smell something fishy in the refusal of the provincial and municipal governments as well as NGOs and resort owners for the conduct of the environmental study that will settle the issue when it is completed. “We smell something fishy in the maneuver to invite supposed environmental experts who conduct limited study when we can have a full-blown environmental study that will be participated by both proponents of the reclamation project and its critics,” a leader of the fishermen's group in one barangay said.
The fishermen said they have a sneaky suspicion that the sudden visit of supposed environmental experts into their villages has something to do with the plot to preempt the holding of the environ-mental study. “We will not be surprised if these experts will come out with a “finding” that the reclamation project will be harmful to the environment based on flimsy ocular inspections in the proposed sites,” another fisherman added. The fishermen said that since the opponents are moving heaven and earth to prevent the environmental study, they will not be surprised if the findings of the supposed experts will affirm their position that it is harmful to the environment. Another group in another barangay said they have heard that the gameplan is to preempt the study because either way the results would not be acceptable to the project opponents.
“If the study says the effect would be very minimal, they will no longer have any basis to stop it. On the other hand, if the study says it would be very harmful, this will also prevent the entry of a favored reclamation proponent,” a spokesman of the group said. Pressed further to elaborate, the spokesman said that contrary to popular belief, OLIDI is not the only proponent interested in the reclamation project. “OLIDI, however, is the only one that is sincere in presenting the mechanics of the project and answering questions and criticisms against it,” he added. The group insisted that there are other interested proponents which are “acceptable” to certain provincial and municipal officials. “So these officials are doing a balancing act where Oasis should be disqualified but they also want to make sure that reclamation by the preferred proponents will push through,” they added.
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