Caticlan reclamation project to start December 1BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL
MALAY, Aklan – The controversial Caticlan reclamation project of the provincial government will start on December 1 despite mounting opposition from stakeholders and local officials here.
Provincial Planning and Development Officer Engr. Roger Esto said the province is determined to start the reclamation project that would offer improved jetty port facilities for inbound tourists of Boracay Island.
Esto stressed that in 2008 the provincial government commissioned experts to conduct studies on how it would affect the Caticlan-Boracay channel when the reclamation will be started.
The studies, Esto said, were validated by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, which issued the Environmental Clearance Certificate on April 27, 2009. The province earlier filed an application for reclamation project with the Philippine Reclamation Authority to reclaim portions of the coastlines in Barangay Caticlan.
“After the compliance of the legal and environmental requirements, at anytime, the Manila-based contractor could start the site embankment for the P260-million project covering the 2.6 hectares,” Esto said.
Jetty port administrator Nieven Maquirang said the provincial government plans to transfer the Boracay-bound passengers to the reclamation project while the existing Caticlan jetty port will service the passengers of roll-on roll-off vessels.
Maquirang said Caticlan jetty port in 2009 accommodated 1.6 million passengers for Boracay and the nautical highway.
“The existing Caticlan jetty port was only designed to handle passengers for the island of Boracay, but, in 2003, the roll-on roll-off vessels started to operate in the jetty port,” he said.
Maquirang said the proposed reclamation project caters to the increasing tourist arrivals of Boracay Island. He noted, from January to October this year, the tourist arrivals registered 665,000 as compared to 250,000 tourists in 2001.
Maquirang added the provincial government is also optimistic to collect the P100 million from jetty port operations for the year after collections from January to October posted P95-million.
Other facilities in the reclamation project, he said, include a one-stop shop for government agencies involved in tourism, common transport terminal, docking area for pump boats and fast crafts and a unified ticketing system.
Jetty port administrator Nieven Maquirang said the provincial government plans to transfer the Boracay-bound passengers to the reclamation project while the existing Caticlan jetty port will service the passengers of roll-on roll-off vessels.
Maquirang said Caticlan jetty port in 2009 accommodated 1.6 million passengers for Boracay and the nautical highway.
“The existing Caticlan jetty port was only designed to handle passengers for the island of Boracay, but, in 2003, the roll-on roll-off vessels started to operate in the jetty port,” he said.
Maquirang said the proposed reclamation project caters to the increasing tourist arrivals of Boracay Island. He noted, from January to October this year, the tourist arrivals registered 665,000 as compared to 250,000 tourists in 2001.
Maquirang added the provincial government is also optimistic to collect the P100 million from jetty port operations for the year after collections from January to October posted P95-million.
Other facilities in the reclamation project, he said, include a one-stop shop for government agencies involved in tourism, common transport terminal, docking area for pump boats and fast crafts and a unified ticketing system.
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