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CALASIAO, PANGASINAN—The coastal town of Bolinao in Pangasinan province will commemorate on Saturday a triumph by the local community against potentially massive environmental destruction through a proposed cement factory project in 1996.
That victory paved the way for the town’s emergence as a major ecotourism destination in the province; hence, Aug. 8 is marked annually as Bolinao Tourism Day.
The date corresponds to the denial by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) of the Environmental Compliance Certificate (ECC) application of a Taiwanese firm that sought to build a multibillion-peso cement plant, a decision widely regarded as a turning point in the town’s history.
Mayor Jesus Celeste recalled that the rejection of the cement plant project on environmental grounds 30 years ago eased the residents’ fears that it would devastate Bolinao’s pristine natural beauty, allowing the town to pursue sustainable tourism.
