NEWSFLASH

Ternate, Cavite, Oct. 23, 2000 - Caylabne Bay Resort in Ternate recently threw a weekend bash for 12 environment-friendly sports and cause-oriented groups who celebrated the International Coastal Cleanup Day. Held every third Monday of September, the annual event, is marked with a clean-up of Cavite's beaches and coves, under the auspices of the International Marinelife Alliance and the Philippine Kayaking Association (PKA).

The day's activities included the clean-up of a remote beach in Cavite, a kayaking race, cliff rappelling demos, and a tour of Caylabne Bay Resort. The PKA started this event a few years ago when they assisted the International Marinelife Alliance, which promotes the International Coastal Cleanup worldwide. It quickly became an annual event for the PKA, which concentrates its work on the areas located near the mouth of Manila Bay.

Coastal Cleanup Day began early in the morning when members of the media, led by DOT-Region IV's Camille Cua, started on the two-hour trip to Ternate.

The final half hour to Caylabne was exhilirating. Well-paved roads wind through such scenic, rolling hills and deep forests.

The forest cleared up as the bus entered the Caylabne Bay Resort. We stopped at the resort's Look-Out Café for a welcome drink. The view of the sea from the Café is breathtaking. Visible from its balcony is the mouth of Manila Bay, Corregidor and Bataan. The Cafe would have been the place to witness some of the crucial battles that took place in Corregidor during World War II.

Fishing is the only industry of Barangay Patungan. It has no tourist trade and its population amounts to just 200 to 300. And yet, this stunning hidden cove is already an environmental disaster waiting to happen.

Nestled by the boundary of Cavite and Batangas provinces, the tranquil beach is burried with garbage, which originates from the inter-island vessels passing through as they enter or exit Manila Bay.

The fun after the clean-up kicked off with the kayaking race. Caylabne makes the perfect venue for such a race. Aside from kayaking, the picturesque coves and beaches of Cavite are ideal for regattas, windsurfing, and other water sports.

"But the area also serves as a regular sea lane for inter-island and foreign ships entering the ports of Manila, and this poses a threat to the environment," says Didi, spokesman for the resort. "In spite of the encroachments of the busy movements in the Bay, one wonders and hopes that the idyllic conditions as well as the rustic ambiance would not be dramatically altered in the years to come."

After the race, we toured the sprawling, luxurious resort. Jeffrey Medina, the resort's vice president for marketing, says that Caylabne is currently building more attractions. A spa, an 18-hole golf course, and a cluster of elegant Italian villas and condos, which are to be sold to private parties, are in the works.

"An Italian village is being built," he says. "And we're doing this without disturbing the resort's preserved natural environment."

The completed villas and condos look very quaint. Fountains, gardens and piazzas have been built. It's a little Italy that stands between a stream, with a view of a hill on the west, and a view of the bay on the east. Jeffrey said that the villas won't interfere with the expansive space of Caylabne. They're all ensconced at a portion of the property where privacy would be guaranteed.

"We're certainly not on a building spree here," he said. The resort's owners are bent on maintaining a tranquil, refreshing and sound environment in Caylabne."

No doubt, it's a policy that jives well with the environmentally conscious people who want to enjoy the beauty of Cavite's coves for many years to come. (By DENNIS LADAW)