Pangasinan's golf course controversy

There is an ongoing political controversy regarding an eco-tourism development in Pangasinan. It centers around a golf course and resort area being developed in barangays Sabangan, Estanza, Malimpuec and Capandanan, just a few kilometers outside the provincial capitol of Lingayen. The 300-hectare beachfront property was idle land sitting along Lingayen Gulf across the breadth of the four barangays.

In 1998, Pres. Fidel Ramos issued Presidential Proclamation 1258, ordering the development of the property into an eco-tourism zone. The plan included resorts, an amusement park, an aqua sports center, hotels, bars and restaurants, high-end residences and an 18-hole golf course. After Ramos stepped down, from 1998 to 2007 the project did not progress, and the land sat idle once again. The development was revived when former congressman and police general Amado Espino Jr. was elected governor of Pangasinan. A ground-breaking ceremony was held, with Ramos teeing off at the site where the golf course would start. It would be the first and only first-class facility of its kind in the history of the province, and would hopefully attract first-time foreign investors and tourists.

It is only natural for golf course designers to move hundreds of tons of earth to optimize existing conditions and make them more appealing to golfers. In this case, it was made even more necessary to discover why plants and trees were hardly growing on the large tract of land. Only very small isolated patches of coconut trees and crabgrass dotted the property. It was curious, since the surrounding areas were rich in trees, grasses and plants.

The answer came upon digging for the bunkers and six lagoons which will serve not just as hazards for the golf course, but as catchbasins for the water used on the greens fairways. It was black sand.

“It turned out that the unwanted material found – aside from lahar, which was also found in this area – are deposits of magnetite sand,” Alvin Bigay, one of Pangasinan’s provincial engineers, told The STAR at the site.

Magnetite is a form of magnetized iron oxide, and is the most magnetic naturally occurring mineral on the planet. It is usually found in beach sand, carried there by erosion. Large deposits are common in California and New Zealand, as well as Chile, Uruguay and Australia. It is also called iron sand. Magnetite also has commercial value, selling anywhere from $50 to $170 or higher per metric ton, depending on the composition of the sand. The magnetite found in Pangasinan had to be removed and replaced with varieties of soil to make a suitable environment for grass, plants and trees to grow.

“Since we have no technical expertise in removing that magnetite sand, the recommendation was for us to get the services of a mining firm,” Engr. Bigay explains. “So what happened was, a mining firm volunteered, small-scale mining was effected, then we found out that there was a moratorium on the issuance of environmental clearance certificates.”

This is where the controversy started. The political opposition accused Espino of illegal mining. But the provincial government did stop digging after the moratorium was discovered, and procured the necessary clearances from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources to conform with government regulations and proceed with the preliminary development of the property. According to Bigay, the sand removal was classified as ordinary quarrying, and the Pangasinan Provincial Mining and Regulatory Board not only approved the sand removal, but endorsed the project, as well. In the meantime, several local and foreign developers had already been bidding for the project.

Now, the accusation is that the provincial government will make money off the black sand. But there are government regulations on these types of situations, and a portion of whatever revenues may be generated by the sale of the magnetite will go back to the communities it came from. So the issues are not so controversial, after all.

To begin with, the project was a vision of former Pres. Ramos, not initiated by the current provincial administration. Secondly, even now the surrounding properties are already being benefited, since a road network has been added and will be improved upon. Third, property values in the area are sure to go up, as they usually do when golf courses, resorts and other sports facilities are built. For certain, resorts will sprout up around the eco-tourism zone, for those who cannot be accommodated or cannot afford it. Fourth, the project will spur development throughout the province, turning unused land into a destination for foreign and local tourists and businessmen. Considering Pangasinan’s history and its massive size, it is ironic that there are no five-star hotels and upscale resorts in the entire province.

Also, it takes a sportsman to see the value of a catalyst centerpiece sports facility. In the capitol Lingayen, Espino has refurbished resorts, put up a driving range, renovated the Narciso Ramos Sports and Civic Center (which he built in 1995) and acquired the rights to host the Palarong Pambansa, for which he is also building a new swimming pool. The governor is also rebuilding the airport in Lingayen to facilitate tourist arrivals. He is using sports to take the province to the next level of development by creating a place to go and an easy way to get there. In the past, people would just cross Pangasinan on their way to Baguio or Ilocos as they would a busy intersection. The difference will be apparent when the eco-tourism development is finished. The golf course is just a part of it, and is being misinterpreted and used as petty political ammunition against him.