As one of the country’s last ecological frontiers, the Central Panay Mountain Range (CPMR) serves as an important biodiversity corridor in the Visayas region. It is home to various species of flora and fauna, including the endemic Rufous-headed hornbill, the Visayan Spotted Deer, and the infamous Rafflesia speciosa, a parasitic plant species of the genus Rafflesia.
The CPMR also holds the largest remaining forest block in the island in what experts call a “forest spine” that extends north to south for over 65 miles. It traverses through lowland forest to cloud forest to mountain peaks, rising to nearly 7,000 feet. But despite its ecological importance, this stronghold is vulnerable to hunting, unstainable farming practices, unregulated logging, and poaching, among other threats. According to Giz, these contribute to erosion, fluctuating water levels and jeopardizes rice irrigation, while agriculture malpractice contributes to greenhouse gas.
While these are natural contingencies, the CPMR now comes face to face with another adversary – one that has proven to be worthy of every Filipino’s scrutiny: the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH).
The CPMR is part of the cluster of DPWH road projects known as the Panay East-West Lateral Road (PEWLR) network that cuts through Laua-an, Antique through Tapaz, Capiz, and routes from Valderrama, Antique to Lambunao, Iloilo. It is easy to overlook certain facets of these projects if the agency’s flood control scandal remained hidden, but one name stole the spotlight: Sunwest, Inc.
As reported by the Philippine Center of Investigative Journalism (PCIJ), Sunwest, Inc. is one of four companies founded by Ako Bicol representative Elizaldy Co and his brother, Christopher. With 79 flood control projects under their belt, Sunwest, Inc. comes with a P10-billion bragging right, the biggest allocation of any single firm.
Bombo Radyo Roxas further disclosed that the 41-kilometer PEWLR project accounts for a whopping P2.6 billion. This will include the following:
– road construction from Laua-an Ridge View to Aklan River
– road works at Barangay Maybunga – Sitio Sadsadan, Laua-an
– road and slope protection at Barangay Pandanan, Laua-an
– road construction at Barangay Lupa-an, Laua-an, and
– additional road works in Antique
The network added that out of the seven CPMR road projects, no less than five are being handled by Sunwest, Inc.
Concerned groups and agencies are now airing their sentiments on the project, considering that these are being handled by a firm that is linked to numerous controversies, irregularities, and substandard infrastructure.
In their statement last August, Amlig Alliance Antique pushed for the “immediate suspension and investigation” of at least six road projects in Laua-an and Valderrama, and towards Tapaz, Capiz, and Lambunao, Iloilo.
“Entrusting Sunwest Inc. to carve through the ecologically fragile CPMR invites disaster: environmental degradation, economic waste, and flashfloods.”
Started in 2017 during the time of former DPWH secretary and now senator Mark Villar, the PEWLR is divided into two main road sections: a 28-kilometer stretch in the Bugasong-Valderrama Road section in Antique, and the 13-kilometer Lambunao-Inca Road Section. Villar’s former agency said it aims to reduce travel time between central Iloilo and Antique from over two and a half hours to about two hours, the Daily Guardian said.
Despite its benefits to commuters and ease of travel, conservation groups such as the Haribon Foundation are at the forefront in their advocacy to make CPMR a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), Important Birda Area (IBA) and a Protected Area, alongside legal protection, resources management, and enhanced conservation programs.
Other groups claim that these projects are avenues to mining access in areas where gold, copper, and other minerals are present.
“Encroachment will fragment forests, disrupt wildlife corridors, and heighten landslide and flashflood risks – undermining natural defenses against climate change disasters in a typhoon-prone region,” Amlig Alliance Antique added, while pointing out that project billboards lacked Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) numbers as mandated under Presidential Decree 1586 for projects with significant environmental impact.
They also accused DPWH of “project splitting,” or dividing the PEWLR project into smaller parts so as to avoid preparing a comprehensive Programmatic Environmental Impact Statement.
Credits to Ramil Martinez
