Development Tourism: Island Garden City of Samal, Davao

There are many nooks and corners to see in the Island Garden City of Samal, Davao, aside from its pristine beaches.

The Penaplata cove & Davao City on the horizon; ctto:Daphne Marante

Kaye at Isla Reta, Talicud Island, Samal, Davao 

          Babu Santa Beach, Samal, Davao;  Models: RN, Princess Urduja, Sheryl Love & moi 

There is a botanical garden in Bandera, one of the highest points of the island which is still unseen by many tourists. Barangay Bandera is literally cool and can potentially be made the vegetable and fruit capital of the island city. And as well, there are bat caves in these parts, aside from the famous Monfort Bat Cave Sanctuary. 

Botanical garden in Barangay Bandera; ctto: Jennifer Cariaga

Samal Island as seen from Lanang, Davao City
There is a beautiful rice valley in Barangay Aumbay which could use proper irrigation especially during dry spells. 

                                          View as seen from our farm in Barangay Bandera 
There is much to say about the political economy of vegetable growing in the island, but for now, let me just say that it is a pity that most vegetables for the island are still being sourced from Davao City.

Based on the National Mapping and Resource Information Authority (NAMRIA) maps, Samal island has no significant forest cover left. The forest cover in Samal City is down to 2,212 hectares out of a total land area of 30,130 has. The island’s slopeland areas, officially classified as those of a slope between 18% and 40% contain most of all farmers in the island. Based on Samal LGU data: the island is 34 kms long and 15 kms wide & characterized by mountain ranges at the east which is about 532 meters above sea level; the slopeland is about 116 kilometers and next in level from the seashore; forest constitutes only 8.55 % of total land use while agriculture constitutes 82.58 % of total land use.

Most of the people living in the island city are peasants and are mainly dependent on agriculture & fishing.

Because of obvious denudation, the siltation and flood which flows through its riverways to the sea will destroy the marine coral reefs and various marine fishes, if not addressed soon.
Current total population is about 95,874 (NCSB: 2010). Most farmers now cultivating on the slopelands of Samal Island are very poor; also the copra current price has gone to the floor. Farmers who are into grain farms use very few purchased inputs and adopt cultivation techniques which maximize current incomes but destructive in the long term. Which is why agro reforestation is really indicated in the slopelands & watersheds to conserve water and prevent siltation that ultimately drain to the beaches which are important for the island’s tourism industry and for the people’s livelihood.

It is good news that Talicud Islet (an island to watch) which abut the Celebes sea in the Samal group of islands is being developed as an open beach line islet with no barriers between beaches along its circumferential coastal perimeter. A direct sea route using fast boats can be had from Davao City and there will be no need to spend millions for horizontal highways. What the island needs are sea worthy boats and qualified boat crew who will pass the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) requirements, especially that the seas are rough during Southwest monsoons (Habagat).

               Talikud islet overlooking Samal Island headland; ctto:Jun Kong
                                         

Save Our Sunsets ( SOS)

“If eyes were made for seeing, then beauty is its own excuse for being.”

      ~~~   Ralph Waldo Emerson 

I lived in Manila for almost a decade and when I was there I always treated my friends & relatives who were visiting Manila for the first time to a tour of the famous beautiful sunset in Manila Bay, near the Rizal Park (Luneta). It was also convenient for me as I was teaching in a nearby state university. 

Then, during the 1998 election campaign, I joined the Roco- Santiago Presidential & Vice Presidential campaign team and we resided in the Boulevard Mansion at Roxas Boulevard in front of Manila Bay. This otherwise cold concrete jungle that is Manila became bearable because we had a beautiful view of the sea and of stunning sunsets. And indeed, in this way, cities can be beautiful!

On February 12, 2013, lovers of stunning sunsets congregated at Roxas Boulevard to protest the proposed reclamation by a Manila Goldcoast Development Corporation of about 26,000 hectares in Manila Bay which will surely affect the remaining marine life and all coastal communities in the famous Manila Bay. To be sure, this protest is an uphill battle as the strategy also calls for the repeal of a city ordinance that removed the ban on reclamation projects in Manila Bay; and a revisit of the mandate of the Philippine Reclamation Authority or formerly the Public Estates Authority, an agency of the Office of the President in charge of reclamation projects.

But, hope springs eternal and there is confidence that a critical mass will be mustered to influence policy makers to stop this proposed reclamation. The case against reclamation is now easily argued by just invoking that for a long time now, the carrying capacity of the congested cancerous maldevelopment that is Manila has reached its limit.

Voluminous papers have been written on the causes of constant flooding in Manila and one of the culprits, as we commonly know by now, is that our premier mega city is one congested big basin and existing waterways are not able to contain all the rainfall. 

Architect Nathaniel "Dinky" Von Einsiedel presents evidence that reclamation is one of the causes of flooding.  He cites that one of the reasons for the constant flood in the coastal communities in Navotas and Malabon

area is the  Dagat-dagatan reclamation, a housing project for thousands of informal settlers in the seventies in Navotas near Tondo. This flood also spills over to the Kamanava area :Caloocan, Malabon, Navotas, Valenzuela.

His argument is that reclaimed areas “lengthened the distance that flood waters have to travel to drain out to the sea.”   

Aside from flooding, my fellow lovers of sunsets are concerned that the proposed reclamation project is a privatization of areas currently enjoyed by the public towards pure profit that will serve the interests of the few.

I am so consumed by this passion for saving our sunsets as I am also fighting to save another beautiful view of the sea in a nearby local island city. As Ipat Luna, an environment lawyer says, “local governments should not allow themselves to be used by private developers that want to subvert the ban on owning public domain.” 

Indeed, SAVE OUR SUNSETS (SOS) is a symbol of our advocacy towards preserving common spaces for the enjoyment of the wider public and not just for pure profit that will benefit just the filthy few.

Rio de Janeiro

        Rio +20   

"We defend women’s rights to equality, autonomy & freedom in all the territories where we live, particularly in our bodies, which are our first territory.”       
- from the Brazilian Women Declaration to Rio+20

Rio + 20 is the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on the 20th anniversary of the 1992 Earth Summit. 

Christ The Redeemer picture credit : A&A http://www.artandarchitecturesrl.info/ Art & Architecture
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I did not go there for the Rio + 20 but I have been to Rio de Janeiro.
Rio de Janeiro, for me, is one of the most beautiful places on the planet with the widest beaches, with the last remaining lush forests, with very interesting, artistic & beautiful people protected metaphorically by the iconic statue of Christ the Redeemer. Like the Philippines, the picture of their poor stares you in the eye & not hidden at all as the informal settlers can be found in terraced settlements. Because, they hold the most wild parties & entertainment in their multicultural & magical world, it is said that Brazilians are not taken seriously by the so called sane & sober world. 

So, I am kind of interested in how Brazil fared as host & how the Rio + 20 is ushering as to the future. The conference accounts sound dismal. The world’s women’s movement is not particularly ecstatic and in the words of my friend, Zonibel Woods, “From the start of the negotiations, gender equality and women’s human rights, including reproductive rights, have continuously been challenged by a few governments, claiming that [these] had nothing to do with sustainable development." Indeed, how can half of the world not matter for the future of all. 

The big thing in Rio + 20 was called the “green economy” debate. In a nutshell, the debate is about the political economy of sustainable development & the future of our planet as defined by various players. The players there on our behalf were the rich & poor countries, governments, the market or the private & business sector, the environmentalists, the scientists, the indigenous peoples & all the organized people working to make our planet sustainable. 

Dean Tony la Vina of the Ateneo School Of Government shares with us that the narrative of the Philippine position is “a tool and mechanism to achieve sustainable development…. We envision a green economy approach that pushes the development of the country towards inclusive and sustained growth.” What is the green economy approach of the Philippine government? Big words actually: “ (a) Ensure food security; (b) Promote investments to bolster its natural capital; (c) Ensure environmental integrity and ecological resilience through enhanced and sustained ecosystem goods and services; (d) Encourage sustainable consumption patterns; ((e) Eco-efficient resource use in the transport, energy, waste and water sectors; and (f) Create climate-resilient agriculture and industry sectors. “ The above framework has been translated to Philippine programs in the past twenty years & as recently revisited for Rio + 20, still needs improvement. 

What do we do on the ground as citizens? Ann Marie Manhart asked me to spread her words, “we don’t need a Rio + 20 : walk, cycle, take the jeep, bus or car pool, sign up for renewable energies, plant a tree, a flower, a forest, a meadow, eat local food, support local businesses, video conference instead of flying halfway around the world for a conference, write your government, join your government, listen to scientists, invest in education, fix your water, drink less bottled water, recycle, reuse, consume less & live more….”

And in the run up to the next election, vote wisely, too, for the near & far future of our planet.

(Credits: picture above on Rio beach & skyline is from Marlene Ramirez with thanks)