FWD:PH: Ideal Site for US Bases
Anyani
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Philippine Inquirer
`Most ideal site' for US bases
By Carolyn O. Arguillas
(Conclusion)
GLAN, Sarangani--Sarangani officials
frequently complain that the province, the
country's 76th, Mindanao's 23rd, the
SPCPD's 14th, is not on the Philippine
map.
But the 5-year-old province is now on the
world map as the ``most ideal site'' of
the future US Naval Base in the
Asia-Pacific region.
Sarangani was carved out of South Cotabato
in 1992 by virtue of a law authored by
Rep. James Chiongbian. His wife Priscilla,
is completing her second term as governor.
The governor last month dismissed as
``baseless'' reports of the basing of the
US Navy here but kept her options open
over the setting up of a naval base.
Chiongbian said she would throw her
support to the US government if Washington
would ask for landing and berthing rights
in the airport, wharf and other facilities
in the Socsargen (South
Cotabato-Sarangani-General Santos) area
because ``they are friendly forces'' and
``they (US government) gave us that
airport.''
Chiongbian said the question whether to
allow the return of the US bases should be
``left to the national leadership'' and
eventually for the people to decide
through a referendum.
Tourism estate
But she said having military bases has its
advantages and disadvantages, stressing
the US military installations in Subic Bay
and Clark Field in Luzon should also be
credited for the development brought to
the area.
Chiongbian said the strip of white sand
beaches along Sarangani bay including the
cove at Sumbang Point in Glan, said to be
the ``most ideal site'' for the US naval
base, was planned as a tourism estate.
Chiongbian, however, admitted she hadn't
been to Sumbang Point.
The growth plan made by a USAID-funded
agency shows Gumasa, the area beyond
Sumbang Point, as the area eyed for
tourism.
There is a ``dive resort'' owned by an
American in Barangay Kapatan here, where
for P7,000, you can take lessons in scuba
diving.
The ``resort'' is conveniently located on
the roadside but tourists and ordinary
commuters won't know where to find it
because there is no signboard or billboard
on the road leading to it and even on the
gate itself.
A concrete winding stairway leads to the
rocky beachfront below. The decompression
chamber is by the roadside.
The Inquirer's American source said
Filipinos ``specially the locals in Glan''
wouldn't know the difference between a
scuba diving gear and an underwater
resource mapping gear.
Sarangani Divers
The ``dive resort,'' he said, is likely a
``front'' to allow for undisturbed
resource mapping.
Locals say most of those who frequent the
resort are Americans.
The ``dive resort'' owner is an American
who is a familiar face in Socsargen for
one major reason: He was a USAID project
manager, the head of mission to Socsargen
about decade ago.
Married to a Filipina, he now manages
``Sarangani Divers,'' a firm listed in the
phone directory with address at 7 Atis
St., General Santos City.
Inquirer's efforts to locate him yielded
negative results.
No one answered the firm's two telephones.
The Inquirer visited 7 Atis St. to find a
signboard proclaiming the office (an old
house, actually) is ``for rent.''
Moved out
The phone number to be contacted for
inquiries turned out to be the number of
Matutum Hotel. The Inquirer was told
Sarangani Divers moved out sometime around
August this year. The firm left no
forwarding address.
A check with the General Santos City
Chamber of Commerce and Industry Inc.
(GSCCCII) also yielded negative results.
No one knew where Sarangani Divers moved.
The firm is not a member of the GSCCCII.
The ``dive resort'' owner used to be an
active member of Mindanao-L (a discussion
forum of Mindanaoans and those interested
in Mindanao) in the Internet but had not
logged in for sometime now.
The Inquirer checked on his e-mail address
from the List owner, but was told he had
not been answering his mail. Inquirer
e-mailed the dive resort owner but also
got no response.
His caretaker at the ``resort'' could not
give the exact address and did not have
the owner's cellphone number.
Councilor Elogemia Cablitas of neighboring
Malapatan town said the owner of the
``dive resort'' was also the head of
Morrison firm, which constructed the
Gensan-Glan road.
The ``dive resort,'' locals said, was used
as a ``camp'' of the American supervisors
of the construction firm.
Glan, the ``coconut queen of the South,''
is located 53 km from General Santos City,
about an hour's ride on the USAID-funded
road.
Glan Councilor Alito Cariño said the town
council here passed a resolution in 1994
naming the dive resort owner an ``adopted
son of Glan'' for his help in ensuring
Glan would be included in the road
asphalting.
`Underground'
Sumbang Point is a cove which residents
say is the ``most ideal site'' for the US
Naval Base because it overlooks the
USAID-funded international airport and
seaport on one side and the Celebes Sea on
the other.
Residents talk about how deep the waters
are in Kapatan, where the ``dive resort''
is.
But the deeper waters, they say, is in
Sumbang Point.
They talk about an ``underground'' or
another level of seabed in both, with the
deeper one over at Sumbang Point.
Arnold Cariño, Alito's brother and
poblacion barangay captain from 1979 to
shortly after the Edsa Revolution in 1986,
recalls having encountered a team of men,
some of them armed, surveying Sumbang
Point in 1983 and 1987, ``for the
expansion of Subic Bay.''
Arnold said he asked the men which office
they represented but said ``that is not
important. What is important is to tell me
if this is Sumbang Point.''
``I met the same people in 1987. I asked
them, `Are you going to start?' ''
He said he was not aware if the team
returned as his fishing business ended
around the time.
Vantage view
Arnold, who favors the setting up of a
naval base in the area because ``we are
the oldest town in the Socsargen area and
at the southernmost tip of the Philippines
and development has yet to usher in this
place,'' said Sumbang Point was the most
ideal site for a base along Sarangani Bay
because it overlooked the USAID-funded
international airport and port on one side
and the Celebes Sea on the other.
Sarangani Bay was declared a ``protected
seascape'' by Presidential proclamation on
March 5, 1996.
Approval of applications for foreshore
lease has been suspended, Provincial
Environment officer Cesario Ursua said.
But long before Mr. Ramos' proclamation,
application of foreshore lease and
purchase of lands in the Glan area had
become rampant.
A resident near the beaches in Gumasa told
the Inquirer last month that lands were no
longer available for sale but for
``prenda'' (pawning) at P1 million for 10
hectares.
Oldest
Glan is the second oldest town in the old
Cotabato Empire.
A colored map prepared by the USAID-funded
Growth with Equity in Mindanao (GEM) shows
the area is being eyed for
telecommunication facilities.
Sarangani's infrastructure plan for year
2002 envisions Glan to have an expanded
seaport and the areas surrounding Sumbang
Point for tourism.
In fact, USAID-funded GEM's briefing kits
include a site plan for a proposed beach
resort hotel at the Reyes Beach in Gumasa,
just after Sumbang Point.
The resort would have a four-story grand
lobby and restaurant, native cottages,
tennis courts, racquet clubs, view decks,
parking area, cowboy bar and horse corral.
Mayor Enrique Yap declined to comment on
the reported plans to set up a naval base
here. ``I do not have any personal
knowledge, neither was I officially
informed.''
A landowner in Sumbang Point said having a
naval base in the area would be difficult
because the lands are titled. But the
landowner said this should pose no problem
``if the price is right.''
AIDS
Teodoro Basalo, barangay captain of
Taluya, which covers sitio Sumbang, said
he favored having a base in the area for
security reasons.
Basalo said some of his constituents
approved the idea, the others do not.
Those who oppose, he said, fear the
scourge of AIDS, prostitution and the loss
of livelihood for the fishing community
while those who favored it said this would
develop the area and provide employment.
The Cariños say residents here are willing
to host the US Naval Base even if this
will entail a huge social cost and even if
nuclear weapons are stored here.
The town has a population of 80,000.
``We're inviting foreign investors and
setting up a US naval base will develop
our area,'' they said.
``(Those outside Glan who oppose having a
base here) are not thinking of the future.
Like it or not, we're under the Americans.
If we're attacked here, who will defend
us?''
``We can disregard the social cost because
opportunity knocks only once and we should
accept it,'' he said.
The councilor added having a naval base
would mean that in the future, ``there
will be many mestizas and mestizos here.''
A ranking official in GenSan also told the
Inquirer, ``that's good so we will have
long noses. Look at the Kapampangans.
Their beauties are for Miss Universe.
That's because of Clark.''