PROJECT DESCRIPTION

PPROJECT NAME: Anguib and Pozo Robo Beach Club Project PPROJECT LOCATION: San Vicente, Sta Ana, Cagayan PPROJECT AREA: a. Anguib Beach Club: 12 hectares b. Pozo Robo Beach Club: 80 hectares EST. INVESTMENT: PhP 4 Billion PROPONENT: Balai Cagayano Incorporated PROJECT BACKGROUND Brief Introduction The tourism industry is amongst the driving force to boost the economic development of the Cagayan Valley Region. The Region’s natural endowments potential for development as world class tourist destinations is exceptional and comparable to other premier tourist destinations worldwide when fully developed. Right now CEZA and other LGUs are aggressively pursuing the development of its tourist spots into premier tourist destinations to compete with the tourism demands of international market. In fact, CEZA alone has now growing in terms of its popularity as world class tourist destination in Northern Luzon. This scenario is manifested by the continuous growing of number of tourist visitors both local and foreign tourist and the mushrooming of tourism establishments like; hotels, resorts and other tourism facilities. Many tourist attractions and other recreational facilities in the Cagayan Freeport Zone are being developed but most are concentrated in the beach front at barangay San Vicente facing the Babuyan Channel. However, many of the tourist spots in the area are operating below standards viz a viz social and environmental considerations. The temporary closure of Boracay, the premier tourist destination in the Philippines provides lessons and insights on how tourism ventures should be developed, that it should not disregard the maintenance of social and environmental integrity. For this reason, the development of the tourism spots/attractions must meet international norms and standards which should be anchored on people and culture, environmental integrity of the manmade and natural attractions such as; marine and terrestrial ecosystems, i.e., white beaches, dive sites, waterfalls, crystal clear river systems, caves, unique geological formations, panoramic vistas, water sports, recreation centers. The development of the proposed Beach Clubs (Aguib and Pozo Robo) in sos. Anguib and Nangaramoan, San Vicente, Santa Ana, Cagayan shall be guided with the above stated universal values and principles so as not to compromise social and environmental integrity for long term investments. The lessons in Boracay tourist spot which resulted to its temporary closure will

provide essential education and guidance to develop the Anguib and Pozo Robo Beach Clubs. Thus, this full blown Environmental Impact Assessment study. The result of the study shall set out the necessary mitigating measures for any possible social and environmental impact that may occur during the establishment and operation of the resorts. Project Goal and Objectives Goal: The overall goal is to accelerate sustainable development through the establishment of

world class tourist destination for the wellbeing of the Filipino people. General Objective: To establish a world class tourist spot within the Cagayan Freeport Zone in

Sta Ana, Cagayan, Northeastern Philippines. The Specific objectives shall be to:

1. Establish world class tourism facilities and amenities such as; pavilion, swimming pool, restaurant, tourism information center, Villas, children’s park, etc. to cater the needs for walk in and long vacation tourist.

2. Prepare site development plan of the Anguib Beach Club and Pozo Robo Beach Club and detailed engineering designs of the various infrastructures.

3. Improved and expand the initial infrastructures erected in the area to continue its initial

operations while constructing permanent structures based on world class standards.

4. Continue to create and expand employment opportunities to benefit the local population Project Location The proposed project is located in Aguib-Nangaramoan, San Vicente, Sta Ana, Cagayan within Coordinates 180 40’ 38” North latitude and 1220 12’ 27” East longitude for the Anguib Beach Club and 180 31’ 10” North latitude and 1220 13’ 46” East longitude for the Pozo Robo Beach Club. Essentially, the area is positioned at northeastern tip of Sta Ana, Cagayan land mass facing the Pacific Ocean. Based on the available satellite images and physical assessments conducted by the municipality of Sta Ana and CEZA, the area is still considered pristine in terms of its biological resources and natural features. The Beach Clubs contains a total aggregate area of 92 hectares (12 hectares for Anguib and 80 hectares for Pozo Robo) which is within private lands with land titles issued to several individuals.

Figure 1. Location of the Project

The municipality of Sta. Ana is about 165 km. from Tuguegarao City the capital town of Cagayan and 642 km. from the point of origin in Lawton, Manila. It is bounded on the East by the Pacific Ocean, on the West by the Babuyan Channel and on the west to south by the municipality of Gonzaga. The town of Sta. Ana occupies a total land area of 44,130 hectares (MCEP, Sta Ana). Physical Characteristics of the Proposed Project The general topographical characteristics of Sta. Ana area are mountainous to rolling lands and plains. Large portion of the area is mountainous to rolling. Although the area has a rugged terrain, there are no areas with an elevation of above 1,000 meters above sea level (msl). Specifically in Aguib-Nangaramoan, San Vicente where the proposed project is located, the topography is level to nearly level while the immediate adjacent areas are gently sloping to undulating. The area falls in low elevation lower than the 100msl mark. Sta Ana is endowed with creeks, brooks and rivers giving the area abundant supply of water. The ground water on the other hand could be tapped for domestic or industrial use. Specifically for the project area, its proximity to the Pacific Ocean is an advantage for development of water related tourism activities.

The climate of Santa Ana falls under the fourth type of climate under the Modified Corona Classification of Climate (http://www.cropsreview.com/climate-types.html). It is characterized by having evenly distributed rainfall throughout the year. There is a short dry season which begins in the month of March and ends late July. The hottest months are April, May and June. Generally, the months of June, July and August are moderate with occasional rains. The rest of the year is characterized by heavy downpours. Rainfall varies from 16.00 mm to 44.00 mm in the mountainous areas, with an annual average of 26.00 mm. Temperature ranges from a low of 17 degrees Celsius during the period of November to February, to a high of 35 degrees Celsius during the months of April, May and June, with May being the warmest month and January as the coldest. Based from the Bureau of Soil and Water Management (BSWM), there are eight soil textures that can be found in the municipality of Sta Ana area. These are Hydrosol, San Manuel silt loam, Alaminous loam, Beach sand, Alaminous clay loam, Buguey loamy sand, Quingua silt loam and undifferentiated mountain soil. Specifically in the project area, it is reported that it has an undiffefentiated mountain soil. Socio-economic Profile of the Area The population of the municipality for the last fifteen years from 2000 to 2015 are 21,612, 25,833, 30,458 and 32,906 for the censal years 2000, 2007, 2010 and 2015 respectively. As presented the population is in an uptrend scenario. During the censal year conducted, there was an increase of 4,221 inhabitants from 2000 to 2007, thereby making an annual growth rate of 2.49%. From 2007 to 2010 the annual growth rate increased to 6.18% while there is a decrease rate to 1.48% in

following censal years 2010 to 2015. Economic Activities Majority of the population of Sta Ana are farmers and the main crops are rice and corn. Few farmers are into pineapple and banana production. Those that live in the coastal barangays are also into fishing. One significant development in the local economy of Sa Ana is the growing tourism industry as a result of the development that brought about by the creation of Sta. Ana as the Cagayan Freeport Zone. Establishment of resorts and hotels are evident in the area as there is a significant increase in tourist arrival in the place. Specially, with the opening of the international airport in the nearby town of Lallo, Cagayan it is expected that tourist arrivals will continue to increase. Areas for EIA Assessment The Anguib Beach Club and the Pozo Robo Beach Club will be developed by the Balai Cagayano Incorporated and its business partners. These two beach clubs shall have its own development

framework (although both are near each other) as their physical characteristics differs except they are both located along the beach front facing Pacific Ocean (Figure 2 & Figure 3.). Process Technology for Site Development of Anguib and Pozo Robo Beach Clubs The infrastructures are to be constructed according to the site specifics in the development plan so as not to compromise the environmental integrity of the area. Amongst the most crucial facility to be considered is the solid waste management facility and the waste water facility due to the vulnerability to environmental and health risk for improper solid waste and waste water disposal/management. The portions of the 12 hectares Anguib Beach Club and the 80 hectares Pozo Robo Beach Club that shall be subjected for site development must be covered by permits, i.e., cutting permits, etc. (Figure 4 and Figure 5) before development commence. Both areas are locate in San Vicente, Santa Ana, Cagayan, about a kilometer the distance of each other. In between of these areas is the JAKA Resort and the Nangaramoan Resort. Initial transect walk within the two sites (Anguib and Pozo Robo) indicated that these areas are titled lands with flat terrains. Portion of these areas are planted with coconut interspersed with beach forest. Based on the assessment, development of these areas for resorts are possible, provided the structures and other leisure facilities should only erected in identified areas so as not to compromise the beach and terrestrial ecosystems (Figure 4 and Figure 5). It is important to consider that buffer strips of about 30 meters from the shoreline must left to protect the area from beach erosion. Another important consideration is developing the various facilities is the installation of waste water facilities and solid waste management facilities. In this aspect, Balai Cagayano Incorporated will put up waste water facilities and solid waste material facilities for are

Figure 2. Pozo Robo Beach Resort Figure 3. Anguib Beach Resort

areas where structures shall be constructed. The design of these facilities is presented in Figure 6 and Figure 7).

Figure 4. Anguib Beach Club Site Development Plam

Figure 5. Pozo Robo Site Development Plan

Figure 6. Proposed Solid Waste Management Facility

Figure 7. Proposed Waste Water Treatment Facility

PROJECT STUDY Scope of work and objectives The scope of work is to conduct the full blown Environmental Impact Assessment of the project particularly in the direct and indirect impact areas. In particular the areas to be covered in the study are; biophysical conditions, socio-economic and political conditions, disaster risk, and ecosystems conditions (both coastal/marine and terrestrial ecosystems). The EIA to be conducted shall be the basis for preparing the EIS report for review of the EMB for the issuance of the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) before the development of the beach club’s will commence. The objectives of the assessment are to:

Initiate the conduct of preliminary activities such as; consultations, IEC, and public scoping.

Generate secondary data from various agencies and institutions relevant to the project

Generate primary and secondary data by conducting field assessments, site inspections and local stakeholder’s interactions/discussions and securing information from various institutions.

Formulate and submit the EIS report for the issuance of ECC Methodology A review shall be carefully undertaken on all the activities involved during the pre-construction,

construction and operational as well as abandonment phases of the project. All potential and

significant environmental impacts and risks related to the establishment of the project shall be

identified to help in generating guidelines/mitigating measures in implementing the project.

The study will cover Social and Environmental conditions of the proposed beach project which

will be the basis for the preparation of EIS report. The various activities are:

1) Collection of primary social & environmental data within the impact areas;

2) Review of existing secondary data from various government agencies;

3) Conduct social surveys through focus group discussion and key informant interviews

4) Assess the impact areas including disaster risk;

5) Prepare and submit EIS report; and

6) Secure ECC from the EMB.

Environmental Baseline Data Collection The study shall be carried out through collection of background information on the

environmental and the socio-economic setting of the proposed project. The results of the

examination shall be described in details and if possible shall be presented through maps,

drawing with adequate scale, tables and graphs. In addition, standards and regulations, legal

system relating to social consideration shall be carefully studied. In general, the data requirement

of the project may be grouped into the following general categories:

Physical Environment

Biological Environment

Socio-Cultural, Economic and Political Environment

Project Duration

The EIA study, including the required reports, should be completed within a period of two months

upon signing of the contract. The detailed duration of works are shown below:

EIA Process Activities Schedule

A. Screening Preparation and submission of EIA Coverage and

Requirements Screening Checklist

1 week

Mobilization of expert team Preparation and

submission of scoping request

B. Scoping Consultation and Coordination at the site level and

scoping activities

2nd week

C. EIA Study Secondary data gathering 2nd week

Conduct field research and primary data gathering

(air, water, soil, flora and fauna, health and

sanitation, occupation health and safety, socio-

economic, etc.)

3rs and 4th weeks

Preparation and submission of EIA report 5th week

D. EIA Review and Evaluation

Review by the EIA Review Committee 6th week

Preparation and submission of Additional

Information, if needed by REVCOM

6th week

E. Final report packaging and submission of EIS report

Application and issuance of ECC 7th week