Sustainability model

The salinity of seawater goes down the closer you get to shore. And different species of mangrove must be selected for planting in different levels of salinity or they won’t survive too long.

This is according to Wesley Caballa. He’s no marine biologist, but Wes has overseen the sustainability programs as well as sports and recreation at Pico de Loro, the resort in Hamilo Coast in Batangas owned by the SM group. And since the resort has 10,000 hectares of lush mangrove – the largest in Nasugbu – there must be sound science behind the mangrove forest program of the Pico de Loro team led by general manager Maggie Garcia.

The mangrove forest, which can be explored by kayak or canoe, has drawn a host of bird species to Hamilo and its 13 coves. At least 95 of the 200 bird species endemic to the Philippines have been spotted in the areas around Pico de Loro or Parrot Peak, which rises above the coast that looks out to the West Philippine Sea.

Mangroves also serve as marine sanctuaries, contributing to the proliferation of fish in Nasugbu.

Last Saturday when I visited the resort in Barangay Papaya with my mother, the water was so clean I could see the seabed even at around 12 feet deep. Wes said lucky visitors on a boat ride might spot visiting dolphins and even whales.

Wading in the sparkling water attracts schools of fish that nibble at dead skin on the soles of the feet.

In one of the three coves developed by the resort and declared as marine protected areas, giant clams were implanted with assistance from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources. The clams are now thriving.

It’s hard to believe that waters near Metro Manila can be so pristine and teeming with marine life. Nasugbu is a two-hour drive from Alabang in Muntinlupa through the Cavitex and Kaybiang Tunnel, although traffic can prolong the drive to three hours.

But the development of Pico de Loro shows that environmental revival is possible, even on a piecemeal basis in our archipelago. It is also showing what sustainable tourism can do, to both the investor’s bottom line and the local community.

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Of the resort’s 650 employees, 95 percent are residents of Barangay Papaya, making it the largest single private employer in the tiny coastal village. The employees underwent training in tourism services, which must be world-class, considering that Maggie Garcia used to work for the Shangri-La hotel chain.

Jobs in the tourism sector pay relatively well enough to discourage people from seeking jobs overseas.

The employees learn new skills, with some help from the SM Foundation. Pico de Loro president Rita Dy told me that there used to be critical comments about the quality of the food at the resort. So well-known chefs were consulted and provided training to the culinary crew. Today one of the foundation beneficiaries who finished a culinary course is among the chefs at the resort.

Pico de Loro buys up the fresh catch of local fishermen for its restaurants. The menu is inspired by locally sourced ingredients. In the members-only Pico Restaurant and Bar at the lobby of the Pico Sands Hotel, a bestseller is the Batangueño tweak on the Italian veal dish osso buco. Called bulalosso, the slow-cooked dish uses local beef shank served with a slab of crosscut bulalo bone in the middle, tempting carnivores with steaming bone marrow.

Employees are also trained, Wes told me, in caring for wildlife, such as the three species of marine turtles that nest on the beach.

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This sort of operation needs careful planning from the outset. In 2007, SM Investment Corp. subsidiary Costa del Hamilo forged a partnership with the World Wide Fund for Nature to develop the property. The WWF has since recorded not just the 95 species of endemic birds in Hamilo but also 47 tree species, three rodents, four amphibians, seven reptiles and three bats. Monkeys, wild boar and deer roam the forest. Many of the bats can be spotted in a “bat cave” rock formation jutting out of the sea, which can be reached by speedboat from the hotel area.

The rules that had to be belatedly imposed in Boracay have been followed for a long time in Pico de Loro. No bonfires on the beach, no drinking or smoking, no structures so close to the water’s edge. The result is a pristine beach – not as powdery or white as the sand in Boracay, but impressively clean. And there’s a short stretch of beach in a neighboring cove that is called “Little Boracay” for the quality of its sand.

Equipped with its own water desalination facility, Pico de Loro relies 100 percent on the sea for its clean water requirements. Sewage water is treated and recycled for watering the vast areas of greenery on the property, which includes a forest park. The developer planted 20,000 native trees that are now thriving alongside the older trees.

The resort is starting to tap solar power and is gradually switching to e-vehicles for its shuttle service.

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Maintaining this kind of operation needs substantial private investments. Sea breeze is corrosive on appliances and maintenance can be challenging even for a company with the vast resources of the SM group.

But ecotourism is popular and the investments pay off. The eight condominium buildings with 1,600 units are all sold out. SM is adding one last building, called the Freia, which will offer only units with two or three bedrooms. All of the units will have sea views, and are priced at P7 million to P25 million each.

The country can attract more private investments in tourism if there is greater support from the government. Personal security is a prime consideration for visitors. The infrastructure is critical. Pico de Loro saw a business boom with the opening of the Kaybiang Tunnel from Cavitex, which cut travel time from Manila by one to two hours.

The winding mountain road from the tunnel to the resort is scenic, but there are many steep, sharp curves and it’s a dangerous drive at night with no road lights.

Not all investors can afford to be self-reliant in water needs, sewage treatment and emergency electricity generation like Pico de Loro. The challenge for the government is to make all of that possible even for smaller investors.