Destroying the Masungis around us

EYES WIDE OPEN

- IRIS GONZALES

I write this piece from a place less than two hours away from Manila by plane, a popular tourist destination long exploited by irresponsible tourism and big resort owners.

I'm here for a gathering of women journalists but for safety reasons — some colleagues may be facing threats — we're told not to reveal just yet where we are until our conference is over and we're back home safe and sound.

From the balcony of my hotel room, the view is a massive, four- or five-story sprawling building under construction; perhaps another hotel or a condominium. It's a manicured district, this mixed-use development. This looks more like an enclave in a posh district in Singapore or Makati, minus the crowd, instead of a province outside Luzon. One can hardly recognize the natural topography of the hilly landscape where these buildings, including the hotel where we're billeted, now sit.

Why do governments, including local chief executives, allow resort developers to destroy our land and beaches? Westerners travel halfway around the world to visit the Philippines because they have none of what we have and yet, we try so hard to make our tourist attractions exude that foreign vibe, instead of keeping our culture and landscapes as local and natural as we possibly can.