SUDDENLY, social media was flooded the past few days by news reports about the collapse of resort structures in a coastal barangay in the idyllic town of San Felipe in Zambales. But the social posts, quoting a new report by a newspaper reportedly owned by a noted flunkey of a detested dynasty, contain a fundamental omission. The posts said the collapse of these structures were largely due to the dredging activities in the coastal areas. It did not mention the act of Mother Nature.
Their collapse stemmed largely from the huge, heavy waves that usually batter the coastlines, not just of San Felipe but the other towns of Zambales as well like San Narciso, San Antonio, Cabangan, Iba, and Botolan during the monsoon (or habagat) season. There is no way to stop the wrath of Mother Nature. Legitimate residents of Zambales coastlines fully understand the flux and flow of nature, but not the migrants, who came to the Zambales coastlines from parts unknown to build sea resorts there.
The 1991 eruption of Mt. Pinatubo volcano created what could be considered a lahar legacy in the Zambales waterway system. Its eruption has led to the heavy deposit of volcanic mudflows in the waterway system in western Zambales, particularly the Bucao River system in Botolan, among others. Those outflows of volcanic materials have extended the Zambales coastline by one kilometer and this coastline extension occurred in towns like San Felipe, Cabangan, San Narciso, San Antonio, San Marcelino.
San Felipe Mayor Reinhard Jeresano told a major TV network that the lahar mudflows raised by as much as 30 meters the coastal areas, giving rise to extended coastlines. The inevitable thing occurred, as settlers, who do not have any idea on how the weather behaves in Zambales, came over and speculated on the real estate opportunities these coastal areas offered. Some built resort structures. Blame the Zambales local government units (LGUs) for their intrusion, but it is another issue, a totally different story.
Meanwhile, Mother Nature knows to take back what it gives. Over time, the extended coastlines have started to erode largely because of the high waves brought by typhoons and the monsoon season. Incidentally, dredging was relatively a new activity that was confined to certain areas. They are normally covered by contracts with the government, particularly the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
No less than the Zambales Foreshore Development River Restoration Management Council (ZFDRMC), a multisectoral body, acknowledged the gradual reduction of the coastal shoreline of San Felipe, saying it was not in any way caused by the ongoing dredging operations along major river channels in that town. It said it was brought by the natural process accelerated by huge waves, heavy rainfall, and wind.
For his part, Zambales Gov. Hermogenes Ebdane Jr. warned resort operators, mostly settlers who hardly know the Zambales weather, from building illegal structures on the accretion areas along the beachfront in coastal areas. The soil erosion would continue, as huge waves measuring 2.0 to 2.5 meters batter the coastlines. In brief, soil erosion would continue every year, bringing untold misery to the beachfront resorts there. The DENR, meanwhile, has officially denied any dredging activity on the adversely affected coastal areas in San Felipe.
