Suction sea deposits to spruce up beach resort

BACLAYON. – A beach resort in Taguihon, Baclayon town is in trouble after it was discovered that it extracted white sand deposits a few meters away from its shoreline to spruce up a thinning coast line brought about by rising tides. Astoria Bohol, an uppity resort occupying a beach front property in the coastlines of Baclayon was exposed by concerned residents and fishermen here of making the illegal extraction. The Post tried to contact the resort management yesterday afternoon and promised to e-mail its reaction not later than the paper’s deadline last night. But no reaction came from the resort’s end. Leonilo Lafuente, officer-in-charge of the Bohol Environment Management Office (BEMO), who personally conducted an ocular inspection on the area early morning Friday, saw for himself that sand deposits are being sucked by a mechanized gadget and hauled them nearby, a few meters of the shoreline fronting the Astoria resort. The activity is going on for a number of days already, said a fisherman in an interview.

In a check with Taguihon barangay captain Maria Vida Batoy, she said the barangay council felt slighted that the resort management went ahead with the extraction without getting the proper barangay clearance. It was learned that the resort management bypassed the barangay council in getting the corresponding clearance prompting the Baclayon Sangguniang Bayan to conduct a public hearing. V-Mayor Jodel Cabajug and Councilor Erico Canete conducted the public hearing. During the hearing, it was gathered that the brangay people were split in their decision to allow the extraction. Sources close to the resort said that the suction of white sand nearby was aimed to fill up the thinning coastline because of continuous lashing out of waves during high tide causing the sand deposits to be washed out and brought to the depths off the seawaters of the coastal barangay.

Astoria Bohol resort operations manager Jojo Garan, who was apparently monitoring the hauling of sand when BEMO arrived at the area, confirmed that the sand suction was aimed to spruce up the shoreline as part of the resort development. Lafuente has inquired about the documents such as development plan. But Garan referred BEMO to an engineer of the resort because he is not the right person to detail about the said plan. BEMO also took notice that the concrete structure made of cement, a few meters long  of the shoreline fronting the resort, were mounted to what Garan has described as preventing the sand deposits from being washed out. But Lafuente told Garan that mounting such structure is destructive in the long run as what happened in Panglao Alona beach stretch where concrete barriers were constructed for the same purpose. Forester Nestor Canda, officer-in-charge of the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office, also dispatched his men to inspect the site and took photos of the activities going on there. But he said that extraction from seabed is a big no according to the existing law. Called up on his phone yesterday, forester Nestor Canda, officer-in-charge of Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) provincial office, vowed to take action against this illegal activity, especially the dredging and hauling of sand deposits here, that fishermen described as devastating to seagrass and other specimens in the area.

Fishermen also complained that the 20-meter salvage zone as public access seemed being closed to public when they (fishermen) passed by to make fishing preparations to sea. But Garan was quick to say that anybody can pass through the coastline. The fishermen, who already experienced being called upon by the resort security guard when passing the resort, did not agree with Garan’s response. Garan said the resort management would cooperate with the officials concerned on how to deal with the resort development in proper forum. Extraction and hauling of sand deposits within and from the seabed has been strictly prohibited by law. The resort failed to present any permit which must be signed by the governor to extract the deposits in the area. Lafuente said that the province discourage sand extraction from seabed based on the provisions of the Bohol Environment Code of 1998. Astoria Bohol is said to be a sister company of Astoria chain of resorts and hotels nationwide, including Astoria Plaza in Ortigas Center, Pasig and Astoria Boracay in Station 1, Boracay. It is said it has “first-rate amenities and facilities, quality food and beverages and excellent services.”