The persecution that it received at the hands of the opponents of the Panglao reclamation project has turned out to be a “blessing in disguise”. This was the reaction of the Oasis Leisure Island Development Inc. (OLIDI) when asked how the persistent campaign of its critics has affected the project. “People are not aware of it but the uncalled for attacks on the projects actually turned out to be beneficial to the project,” OLIDI said in an official statement. In a statement approved for release, OLIDI said that the attacks hurled against the project became an opening for an exhaustive dialogue with stakeholders on the issue. “Many stakeholders who were initially opposed to the project realized that it is not as bad as it was pictured to be after they listened to the project proponent and after their questions were answered in the proper forum,” the statement added.

OLIDI conceded that a reclamation project had a negative connotation to many people who are sincerely concerned about the environment. “We did not take that against concerned environmentalists so we explained to them how our project works,” the statement added. The statement said that contrary to what its critics would like to make it appear, Oasis is also concerned for the environment. “Just because we are proposing a project that is suffering from a negative perception does not mean we are anti-environment,” it added. The sincere exchanges with the stakeholders and different sectors obviously are bearing fruit because more people have admitted that they now have a positive perception of the OLIDI project. “The more the critics of the project are demonizing us, the more people realize that we are merely victims of an orchestrated smear campaign,” the statement added.

As of last count, only seven resort owners have remained vocal in their opposition to the project. These owners are also being suspected of funding the propaganda campaign and other extra-legal activities against Oasis. OLIDI said that many of their critics have been exposed for their own destructive environmental practices which made people realize that the issue is not really about environmental concern. The project proponent said there is nothing like sincere discussions to open the minds of people. “People who are objective now see the project in a different light. More and more people are willing to give us the benefit of the doubt,” the statement added. In fact, five tourism-related establishments through their owners and operators have already made representations on the possibility of relocating to the reclamation site when it pushes through. OLIDI, however, declined to identify the five interested parties because they do not want any conflict with those who are agitating against the reclamation project. The statement said the concerned resort owners have expressed apprehension that if the current trends in the Alona area remain, the resort industry may no longer be a viable proposition. OLIDI said that the improvement in the people's perception is already a victory for the project. “That is why we are hopeful that the comprehensive environmental study will really materialize so that the most important questions on the environmental impact will finally be answered,” OLIDI added.