Brgy head opposes foreshore dev't plan

Tanke barangay captain Juanila Mabala has opposed the recent application of a private furniture manufacturer to lease a three-hectare foreshore area that would be developed and where a breakwater will be constructed. Angela Figueroa-Paulin, the applicant, is engaged in the manufacture of wood and rattan furniture for export in Tanke. On August 9, she wrote Mabala that she would lease a foreshore area in the barangay, adjacent to her private lot.

"I would like to know if the land will be devoted or is intended for public improvement that is to be initiated by your council. Its goal is to protect the concrete fence from deteriorating which could happen due to the strong waves of the sea," said Paulin in her letter.

A breakwater is a structure or a wall built offshore to protect a harbor or beach from the forces of the waves. Paulin said the construction of the breakwater would be done within a two-year period, adding that the place would also be developed.

Mabala said there are problems or consequences the city or the barangay will encounter if the development plan pushes through.

One of these is the place to relocate the people, mostly residents by the shore, who will be affected by the project. Most of them are jobless, and dependent o fishing, she said. - Garry B. Lao