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Wednesday, June 25, 2003
Huluga Cave case: Questions raised on firm's EIC
By Lizanilla J. Amarga
NATIONAL Museum archeologists from Manila are now being urged to come to Cagayan de Oro City to look over the damage Mayor Vicente Emano and UKC Builders Inc. have done to the Huluga caves's open site.
Dr. Linda Burton, an archeologist at Xavier University, earlier said there would be an investigation into whether or not an archeological impact assessment (AIA) was initiated along with an environmental impact assessment (EIC) for the Huluga complex.
There are questions on whether there were any AIA or EICs before the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) 10 gave this Balulang-Taguanao bridge and road network project an environmental compliance certificate (ECC) to construct just meters away from the caves.
Dr. Burton, who is studying the Huluga caves, expressed hopes that once the National Museum experts discover that there was no AIA conducted that charges against Emano and UKC Builders, Inc. will immediately be filed in court.
"This is because the National Museum is the guardian of our country's antiquity and cultural heritage," she told Sun.Star Tuesday night.
An AIA is required by law for 'improvements' on areas which are considered to be part of the locality's cultural heritage.
Burton expressed fears that Emano and those who moved for the construction of the bridge and road network just barely 200 meters away from the caves will get away unscathed.
What's the use?
She said this may convince other local government officials and construction firms to think it is alright to destroy archeological sites in the name of progress.
"We have several other archeological sites around which are now threatened to be destroyed for the sake of constructing roads, bridges, etc. and this we have to protect," she said.
Burton clarified that it's not that they don't want the construction of the Taguanao-Balulang Bridge since it will solve the city's traffic problem.
"But it should have been constructed some distance away from the caves and the open site as agreed previously," she said adding that City Engineer Jorie Bingona was one of those who promised them that it will be so.
Burton then accused Emano for lying to the public when he said he cared about the city's cultural heritage.
She said if Emano cared he should have consulted with them or that of the City's Historical Commission and Department of Tourism.
"Ano man ang gamit ng (What is the use of having the) City Historical Commission ng DOT? He (Emano) should have sought us and their opinion before constructing the project," she said.
Surprising results
Burton also blasted Emano for reportedly saying that their archeologist group should have come up in the open during the planning stages and not when the construction is near completion and Huluga caves's open site has already been damaged.
She said they would have come only if they have been invited.
"In the first place we don't know the schedule or where they are going to hold their planning...and now Emano is blaming us for not attending?," she said.
Sun.Star tried to contact Environment and Management Board (EMB) 10 acting director Sabdullah Abubacar for comments on the ECC of the project.
Sun.Star also attempted to contact DOT-10 Director Dorothy Pabayo and personnel from the Historical Commission but failed to do so after presstime yesterday.
Huluga cave's open site is part of the cultural heritage of Cagayan de Oro City and dates back to even before Jesus Christ was born.
Studies made by the University of the Philippines (UP) revealed that the Huluga complex, which includes 2,000 meters radius around the series of Huluga caves, revealed surprising results.
Damaged
It said there is no volcano around the Huluga site despite traces of Obsidian glass flakes and chips in the area which are results of a volcanic activity.
These obsidian artifacts found were subjected to further examination in the Bureau of Mines in Manila to test its trace elements.
It was discovered that the other similar flakes were only found in abundance in nearby Asian countries.
Former local Historical Commissioner Antonio Montalvan II said this just proves that the obsidian chips were "imported" and that there was already trading in around the area before Christ was born.
"This proves that indeed there were already people in Cagayan de Oro before Christ was born and that there were economic activities going on here," he told reporters during the site visit Tuesday.
Obsidian glass can be molded, sharpened and honed into cutting instruments for meat, textiles and could even be use as sharp spear tips.
Montalvan said there are stil a lot of things they could have discovered which could have given them a clue on what really happened in Cagayan de Oro city during the late neolithic age about 377 AD.
"But the site around it is now damaged by the construction of the city's fourth bridge. What is left for us is to salvage what is left," he said.
(June 25, 2003 issue)
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