(INABANGA, BOHOL) LIKE CEBU'S other neighbors, Bohol's development has always been measured in terms of its contributions of manpower, agricultural produce and natural resources to the growth center.
The self-proclaimed pride of Central Visayas, Cebu is the center of commercial and industrial progress in the region. Metro Cebu now rivals Metro Manila in generating business, while Mactan Island has an international airport and a 250-hectare export processing zone in Lapu-Lapu City that accounts for half of the exports originating from the Visayas.
Flush with money, Cebu lords over all other Visayan provinces.
Many Boholanos, however, are less than impressed by their neighbor. Cebu may have the indus- trial zones, but at least Bohol still has a lot of natural wonders to boast of, they say. Bohol's forests, for instance, still shelter the rare and endangered tarsier. The province has also retained its rich fishing grounds and unpolluted beaches, as well as the best dive spots in the Central Visayas.
But traditional politics has a queer and nasty way of perpetrating patronage and patriarchal attitudes. The rich members of the family always tend to have their way. As it is in the clan, so it is in Central Visayas.
Unsurprisingly, when the memorandum of understanding for the multi-billion-peso Bohol-Cebu Water Supply Project was signed in Malacañang in September 1995, Bohol Gov. Rene Relampagos was invited only as an observer. The political affront, whether intended or not, would not be forgot- ten easily by the Boholanos.
Two years later, the Boholanos are building a fierce resistance against the proposed project.
That they are not inclined to generously supply Metro Cebu with water from Inabanga River is only partly due to Bohol's own increasing needs for the resource.
True, the Bohol provincial government recently served notice that the province would have greater need of the Wahig-Inabanga water supply than Cebu, now that four Boholano towns are about to form special economic zones.
But conversations with local townsfolk reveal that aside from this as well as envi- ronmental concerns, Boholanos are simply getting tired of being bullied, and they see the proposed deal as the last straw.
They may also be trying to avoid a repeat of unpleasant past experiences with Cebu. The last time Cebu needed beach sand for its five-star resorts, for instance, Bohol lost Tambulian and Macalingao islands off Clarin town to illegal quarrying.
This time around, even the province's neophyte governor, Rene Relampagos, has dared to stand up against the project's powerful backers, in a show of Bohol's increasing determination to control its own destiny.
The 33-year old governor has acknowledged pressure from Manila on the project. But Relampagos—a former seminarian—has tried to pull off a few tricks of his own. At one point, he announced a "Bohol First" policy that would have to be followed if his government were to partici- pate in any negotiations regarding the deal.
Relampagos then requested Malacañang to hasten the implementation of several delayed projects in Bohol that the national government was funding. He specifically cited the Panglao island airport and its component programs, the upgrading of the provincial circumferential road, the Bohol-Leyte power interconnection, and the long-term solution to the water problem of Tagbilaran City.
"Governor Relampagos was making the most out of a tight and disadvantageous situation," community development advocate Fr. Romeo Dompor now says. "He was bargaining."
But the governor's move also sent another message to the Boholanos. Says Dompor: "It became clear to us that the water project had the backing of very powerful people in government."
Many became more convinced of this during the July public hearing called here by the Depart- ment of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the project.
A request for a show of hands to ascertain the political position of the assembly there had re- sulted in a resounding rejection of the Bohol-Cebu water deal. But the solitary endorsement for the project was considered significant by some people because it came from Rep. Erico Aumentado of the second district of Bohol. Aumentado belongs to the ruling Lakas party, and his vote was read by many as a clue on how Malacañang saw the project.
Meanwhile, it has not escaped the notice of many Boholanos that Cebu can very well tap other water sources aside from Inabanga River.
One of the striking observations of a DENR paper on the deal, in fact, is that Metro Cebu can get its water needs within its own borders.
This is supported by Herman van Engelen, director of the Water Resource Center based at Cebu City's University of San Carlos, who has long been disputing reports that Cebu province lacked the water resources to quench its own thirst.
Van Engelen points to the watersheds of Kotkot, Lusaran and Mananga in the upland borders of the Cebu metropolis as possible sources. "Once projects are fully developed in these areas," he said, "the Mananga facility can provide 120,000 cubic meters of water daily and Lusaran an additional 140,000 cu. meters daily-more than enough to fulfill the demands of Metro Cebu and Mactan Island in the next five or more years."
What has kept Cebu from developing the potentials of Lusaran and Mananga? A masterplan for Water Resources and Management, according to the Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Water, a coalition of civic groups and non-government organizations. A management and land use plan, said Gero Hilimer of the University of Hamburg, who was once involved in geological mapping of Cebu.
But Van Engelen said flatly: "The leaders of Cebu don't dare to act decisively." He cited the prob- lem posed by squatters in the watershed areas. "As early as April 1997 the Cebu City government allocated P100 million to resettle the squatters in these places," he said, "but nothing happened."
Mayor Antonio Dangoy of Compostela is another example of what van Engelen is talking about. Dangoy refuses to share the town's abundant water resource with the rest of Cebu. He insists that his town must first be allowed to convert 1,500 hectares of its watershed area for commercial and indus- trial purposes before Metro Cebu can access its water.
Yet the wells have already been drilled in Compostela and are ready to be pumped to downtown Cebu City some 30 kilometers away. This is approximately the length of the pipeline from Inabanga to Mactan in the Bohol-Cebu water deal.
To some observers, the Cebu leadership seems to prefer tangling with the Boholanos than trying to convince Mayor Dangoy to toe the line.
Others discern a harsher meaning. "Those in power in Cebu have become apostles of globalization," said Fr. Dompor. "They have little faith in local resources. They do not believe that their island environment will sustain them. It is development by default. Witness the rampant land speculation in Cebu."
Inspired by initial economic gains, Cebus local government units have enthusiastically opened many areas, including watersheds, to investors. Meanwhile, the Buhisam dam, a main water source, has become silted and neglected. All of those included in the Metro Cebu Water District CWD's extensive list of potential water sources are also threatened by an insidious kind of progress.
Observers have noted that the feasibility study submitted by the corporate alliance supposed to construct and manage the project failed to provide comparative cost estimates of Cebu and Bohol water sources. Critics of the project now say the political leaders of Cebu would rather buy water from Bohol than rehabilitate their degraded water sources.
Professor Resil Mojares of the University of San Carlos in Cebu City conceded, "Well, the project really tends to divert us from the sense of urgency of protecting the environment in Cebu."
Ironically, the proposed deal is making the Boholanos rally around their province's natural riches. An old Boholano saying conveys how the people feel about the province's waters in particular: The rivers of the island are the blood of Bohol.
But it is still money that is power. Bisayan wisecracks know that Imperial Metro Cebu dictates the tempo of development in the Visayas, just as economic imperatives for the country are dictated by Imperial Metro Manila.
"The Central Visayas region can be viewed as one planning unit," observed Mojares "The prob- lem is nothing has been done in fostering consensus on an overall regional plan and the role of each province in this plan. Did anybody ask Bohol if it is comfortable with providing the fresh water or white sand needs of Cebu?
To be sure, even as late as August, formal talks on the project involving the Bohol stakeholders had yet to take place.
Until now, several months later, the DENR has yet to decide whether or not to issue an Environ- mental Compliance Certificate (ECC) to the project.
If history were to be the gauge, however, the powers-that-be in Manila and Cebu should be forewarned. Cebu may be the place where the conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi began to fulfill Spain's colonial ambition in the Far East. But it was Bohol where Dagohoy led a rebellion against Spain that lasted for almost a century.
The self-proclaimed pride of Central Visayas, Cebu is the center of commercial and industrial progress in the region. Metro Cebu now rivals Metro Manila in generating business, while Mactan Island has an international airport and a 250-hectare export processing zone in Lapu-Lapu City that accounts for half of the exports originating from the Visayas.
Flush with money, Cebu lords over all other Visayan provinces.
Many Boholanos, however, are less than impressed by their neighbor. Cebu may have the indus- trial zones, but at least Bohol still has a lot of natural wonders to boast of, they say. Bohol's forests, for instance, still shelter the rare and endangered tarsier. The province has also retained its rich fishing grounds and unpolluted beaches, as well as the best dive spots in the Central Visayas.
But traditional politics has a queer and nasty way of perpetrating patronage and patriarchal attitudes. The rich members of the family always tend to have their way. As it is in the clan, so it is in Central Visayas.
Unsurprisingly, when the memorandum of understanding for the multi-billion-peso Bohol-Cebu Water Supply Project was signed in Malacañang in September 1995, Bohol Gov. Rene Relampagos was invited only as an observer. The political affront, whether intended or not, would not be forgot- ten easily by the Boholanos.
Two years later, the Boholanos are building a fierce resistance against the proposed project.
That they are not inclined to generously supply Metro Cebu with water from Inabanga River is only partly due to Bohol's own increasing needs for the resource.
True, the Bohol provincial government recently served notice that the province would have greater need of the Wahig-Inabanga water supply than Cebu, now that four Boholano towns are about to form special economic zones.
But conversations with local townsfolk reveal that aside from this as well as envi- ronmental concerns, Boholanos are simply getting tired of being bullied, and they see the proposed deal as the last straw.
They may also be trying to avoid a repeat of unpleasant past experiences with Cebu. The last time Cebu needed beach sand for its five-star resorts, for instance, Bohol lost Tambulian and Macalingao islands off Clarin town to illegal quarrying.
This time around, even the province's neophyte governor, Rene Relampagos, has dared to stand up against the project's powerful backers, in a show of Bohol's increasing determination to control its own destiny.
The 33-year old governor has acknowledged pressure from Manila on the project. But Relampagos—a former seminarian—has tried to pull off a few tricks of his own. At one point, he announced a "Bohol First" policy that would have to be followed if his government were to partici- pate in any negotiations regarding the deal.
Relampagos then requested Malacañang to hasten the implementation of several delayed projects in Bohol that the national government was funding. He specifically cited the Panglao island airport and its component programs, the upgrading of the provincial circumferential road, the Bohol-Leyte power interconnection, and the long-term solution to the water problem of Tagbilaran City.
"Governor Relampagos was making the most out of a tight and disadvantageous situation," community development advocate Fr. Romeo Dompor now says. "He was bargaining."
But the governor's move also sent another message to the Boholanos. Says Dompor: "It became clear to us that the water project had the backing of very powerful people in government."
Many became more convinced of this during the July public hearing called here by the Depart- ment of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) for the project.
A request for a show of hands to ascertain the political position of the assembly there had re- sulted in a resounding rejection of the Bohol-Cebu water deal. But the solitary endorsement for the project was considered significant by some people because it came from Rep. Erico Aumentado of the second district of Bohol. Aumentado belongs to the ruling Lakas party, and his vote was read by many as a clue on how Malacañang saw the project.
Meanwhile, it has not escaped the notice of many Boholanos that Cebu can very well tap other water sources aside from Inabanga River.
One of the striking observations of a DENR paper on the deal, in fact, is that Metro Cebu can get its water needs within its own borders.
This is supported by Herman van Engelen, director of the Water Resource Center based at Cebu City's University of San Carlos, who has long been disputing reports that Cebu province lacked the water resources to quench its own thirst.
Van Engelen points to the watersheds of Kotkot, Lusaran and Mananga in the upland borders of the Cebu metropolis as possible sources. "Once projects are fully developed in these areas," he said, "the Mananga facility can provide 120,000 cubic meters of water daily and Lusaran an additional 140,000 cu. meters daily-more than enough to fulfill the demands of Metro Cebu and Mactan Island in the next five or more years."
What has kept Cebu from developing the potentials of Lusaran and Mananga? A masterplan for Water Resources and Management, according to the Cebu Uniting for Sustainable Water, a coalition of civic groups and non-government organizations. A management and land use plan, said Gero Hilimer of the University of Hamburg, who was once involved in geological mapping of Cebu.
But Van Engelen said flatly: "The leaders of Cebu don't dare to act decisively." He cited the prob- lem posed by squatters in the watershed areas. "As early as April 1997 the Cebu City government allocated P100 million to resettle the squatters in these places," he said, "but nothing happened."
Mayor Antonio Dangoy of Compostela is another example of what van Engelen is talking about. Dangoy refuses to share the town's abundant water resource with the rest of Cebu. He insists that his town must first be allowed to convert 1,500 hectares of its watershed area for commercial and indus- trial purposes before Metro Cebu can access its water.
Yet the wells have already been drilled in Compostela and are ready to be pumped to downtown Cebu City some 30 kilometers away. This is approximately the length of the pipeline from Inabanga to Mactan in the Bohol-Cebu water deal.
To some observers, the Cebu leadership seems to prefer tangling with the Boholanos than trying to convince Mayor Dangoy to toe the line.
Others discern a harsher meaning. "Those in power in Cebu have become apostles of globalization," said Fr. Dompor. "They have little faith in local resources. They do not believe that their island environment will sustain them. It is development by default. Witness the rampant land speculation in Cebu."
Inspired by initial economic gains, Cebus local government units have enthusiastically opened many areas, including watersheds, to investors. Meanwhile, the Buhisam dam, a main water source, has become silted and neglected. All of those included in the Metro Cebu Water District CWD's extensive list of potential water sources are also threatened by an insidious kind of progress.
Observers have noted that the feasibility study submitted by the corporate alliance supposed to construct and manage the project failed to provide comparative cost estimates of Cebu and Bohol water sources. Critics of the project now say the political leaders of Cebu would rather buy water from Bohol than rehabilitate their degraded water sources.
Professor Resil Mojares of the University of San Carlos in Cebu City conceded, "Well, the project really tends to divert us from the sense of urgency of protecting the environment in Cebu."
Ironically, the proposed deal is making the Boholanos rally around their province's natural riches. An old Boholano saying conveys how the people feel about the province's waters in particular: The rivers of the island are the blood of Bohol.
But it is still money that is power. Bisayan wisecracks know that Imperial Metro Cebu dictates the tempo of development in the Visayas, just as economic imperatives for the country are dictated by Imperial Metro Manila.
"The Central Visayas region can be viewed as one planning unit," observed Mojares "The prob- lem is nothing has been done in fostering consensus on an overall regional plan and the role of each province in this plan. Did anybody ask Bohol if it is comfortable with providing the fresh water or white sand needs of Cebu?
To be sure, even as late as August, formal talks on the project involving the Bohol stakeholders had yet to take place.
Until now, several months later, the DENR has yet to decide whether or not to issue an Environ- mental Compliance Certificate (ECC) to the project.
If history were to be the gauge, however, the powers-that-be in Manila and Cebu should be forewarned. Cebu may be the place where the conquistador Miguel Lopez de Legazpi began to fulfill Spain's colonial ambition in the Far East. But it was Bohol where Dagohoy led a rebellion against Spain that lasted for almost a century.
