Ayala-led Sicogon Island project faces delay

MANILA, Philippines – A major ecotourism project to develop Sicogon Island in Iloilo has again encountered a slight delay in securing a conversion permit from the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) due to some “technical defects.”

According to the DAR, the Certificate of Finality for the Order of Conversion of the Ayala-led Sicogon Island Tourism Estate Development project has been recalled due to some legal technicalities in meeting one of the conditions of the order.

Ralph Christian Romero, legal consultant for DAR’s Bureau of Agrarian Legal Assistance (BALA), told The STAR one of the many conditions under the conversion order was to provide all agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) in Sicogon Island with a copy of the said order.

“There are so many conditions, but the last condition provides that all affected farmer beneficiaries be furnished with a copy of the conversion order,” Romero said in an interview.

“A report was submitted by the chief of the Legal Assistance Division that the PARO (Provincial Agrarian Reform Office) served copies of the order, but not all the ARBs were given. Two ARBs were not found, they tried to exhaust all possible ways, but they were still not located. So in short, the condition was not complied with,” he said.

To resolve the issue, BALA director Celestina Manlagnit-Tam issued a memorandum to require the PARO to have the conversion order published in a newspaper of general circulation in Iloilo.

Romero said the order was published last Oct. 13 in a local newspaper.

“The publication substituted the personal service of the copy. We need another 15 days upon publication to give chance for the affected ARBs to file a motion for reconsideration, appeal, or petition against the conversion order,” he said, adding the last day to file the appeal was yesterday, Oct. 28.

The legal consultant said the BALA would still need to check with the Office of the DAR Secretary, Court of Appeals, and Office of the President if any case was filed against the order before the Certificate of Finality would be issued to Ayala Land Inc. and Sicogon Island Development Corp. (SIDECO), the proponents of the project.

“Assuming that no MR, appeal or petition for review relative to the conversion is filed, the earliest date when the certificate can be served would be Nov. 3. But due to the special circumstance, I cannot categorically say that. It is the BALA director who would determine that,” he told the STAR.

The Sicogon Island Tourism Estate Development, a joint venture between ALI and SIDECO, is seen to position the Island as a tourism hub in Western Visayas and drive economic progress in the region.

The DAR approved the conversion of the Island into a tourism development site in March this year, after land disputes in the area were deemed to have been resolved.

A framework agreement was signed by ALI, SIDECO, and the Federation of Sicogon Island Farmers and Fisherfolk Association (FESIFFA) in 2014 to pave the way for the sustainable development of Sicogon Island.

ALI president and CEO Bernard Dy, for his part, said the company is working to secure all the necessary permits for the project.

“For DAR, we have submitted all requirements to cure Certificate of Finality, which we hope to obtain within the year,” Dy said.

“We have submitted all DENR requirements and DENR is currently processing our application,” he added.

The 1,100-hectare Sicogon Island, through the project, is envisioned to be venue for various tourism establishments, such as a resort town center, hotels, resorts, and commercial and residential buildings, supported by an on-site airstrip.

The development of the site would be done in phases. ALI said it is targeting to finish the first set of accommodations before the end of the year, while test flights to Sicogon through the airstrip are being targeted for the first quarter of 2017.