Losing the crown jewel

By the stroke of a pen, the crown jewel was lost.

In the northern tip of Palawan, on the island of Busuanga, lies a vast land of rolling hills and pastureland surrounded by a broken strand of white sand beaches.

For decades this vast land has served as an “almost perfect location” for our country’s largest cattle breeding and livestock quarantine station. Old timers call the place the Yulo King Ranch or “YKR”, a 45,000-hectare spread that was developed during the Martial law era.

Through a memorandum of agreement, the Yulo clan, the DENR, the Bureau of Animal Industry and technical expertise of professional Australian cattle experts, slowly but successfully built up what eventually became the Crown Jewel for Cattle ranching in the Philippines.

Through this farm passed thousands of bulls, cows, goats, sheep and horses that would eventually be redistributed to other farms under the government’s livestock dispersal program.

But like everything associated or related with Ferdinand Marcos, the YKR eventually fell into sequestration. While the YKR management fought their battle in court, the “ranch” practically died. With no real control over operations, with contracts and contacts frozen, the farm could not run what the Aussies called “a proper business”.

To the credit of those left behind as well as well-meaning people in the Bureau of Animal Industry, YKR retained some semblance of operation. Like a lady who stood by the pier waiting for her lost love, YKR has stood the test of time, ready to serve the country.

Unfortunately, she is no more.

On May 7, 2010 or four days before the last Presidential elections, former President Gloria Arroyo issued Presidential Proclamation No. 2057 effectively instituting the following:

What was once known as Yulo King Ranch was wiped out and called the “Busuanga Pasture Reserve” or “BPR”.

A whole decade of operational and commercial success was declared an utter failure by the Midnight EO, which states: “Whereas, since 1975, pasture related interventions undertaken in the area have failed to achieve the desired results”.

I don’t know what mumbo jumbo was fed to GMA but I personally set foot on YKR from 1986, and practically lived near the area for seven years as I built Club Paradise Resort and Hacienda Resort until 1995. During that time, The BAI and the local workers kept things going in spite of little or no support from Manila.

In order to have what the EO refers to as the “desired result”, YKR or BPR was turned over to the Philippine Forest Corporation (Phil Forest), sounds familiar? Yes it is the former office of whistleblower Jun Lozada of the controversial ZTE deal.

Aside from transferring management, the midnight EO also mandates Phil Forest to “determine the possibility of redefining, and or modifying the land use, identify and implement other economic activities calculated to enhance development potential of the area, and IF STILL FEASIBLE as originally intended, plan out other development interventions that can co-exist with Pasture.”

Translation: turn the area into a moneymaking location and if the animals have to go, they have to go!

In order to make money or find money, the EO also empowers Phil Forest to: “ Enter into contract, agreement, lease, loans, bond flotation activities, and similar modes of government INDEBTEDNESS, in order to augment the corporate funds of the PFC.

In fairness to the people at Phil. Forest, they were very transparent and cooperative in sharing information about the current status of YKR or BPR.

After the transfer, PFC officials discovered that 32,000 of the 45,000 hectares of land were parceled out to eight corporations/entities. Sources claim that none of the leaseholders are engaged in cattle or livestock business. Unconfirmed information mentions San Jose Builders and an unnamed official from the DENR as among those who have secured parcels from the 32,000 hectares.

To date none of the current leaseholders have done anything with their respective areas. The biggest irony of all is that the Bureau of Animal Industry now stands at the end of the line applying to be given land in order to continue with what they have been doing since 1975; running a breeding station and quarantine station!

Even if Phil Forest executives wanted to, all that is left for the BAI is approximately 13,000 hectares of steep, highly acidic or mineralized areas where grass won’t grow and cattle couldn’t climb and where poaching and cattle rustling occurs with regularity.

While, the BAI has lost it’s Crown Jewel, I learned that a group associated with the former administration are trying to package a deal with the “lucky” leaseholders and fool Phil Forest to enter into a contract using the name of San Miguel Corporation. Once the deal is packaged, the “Buy and Sell” group will then tie a ribbon on it and offer the deal to the Real San Miguel Corporation for a premium.

I also learned that one of the leaseholders; reportedly a DENR insider, had made an indirect attempt at offering “his” parcel for a joint venture to an SMC official.

When informed about the “unsolicited bid”, SMC President Ramon Ang said that SMC has not submitted any such bid. While San Miguel may consider the possibilities, it would first undertake a thorough study of the matter.

Perhaps it is about time Executive Secretary Jojo Ochoa pulled out the file and called in DENR Secretary Paje to investigate the matter. After all the sacrifice, the BAI should be rewarded with a law that would give them ownership and capability to rebuild a “Nucleus Farm”, something this country is in need of.

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