Bolinao folks protest shadowy Patar white beach claimants

By Liezle Basa Iñigo

BOLINAO, Pangasinan -- Tension brought about by a human barricade and roadblock that cramped the flow of tourists to the famous white beaches of Barangay Patar in this town for two straight days has subsided, police said Tuesday.

“It’s business as usual here in Patar,” said one of local resort owners who declined to be identified.

Police said the roadblock and barricade that started last Wednesday and ended on Friday were the handiwork of local resort owners, operators, employees and other stakeholders to prevent an alleged land-grabbing syndicate from taking over a massive portion of the Patar white beaches.

Almost a thousand individuals with businesses lined up on the coastal village of Patar were intent on preventing the serving of a court order for the conduct of a relocation survey of the beachfront.

The unknown individuals supposedly staking their claim on 1,500 hectares of the beach were reportedly accompanied by a representative of the Pangasinan Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office or PENRO.

The identities of these individuals remained a mystery to the locals as of press time.

Pangasinan 1st District Rep. Jesus “Boying” Celeste urged the residents and resort owners to go back to their usual business so as not to adversely affect the local tourism industry.