According to Hinoba-an Mayor Ernesto Estrao, the approval to convert nearly 300 hectares of agricultural land into industrial space in municipal Barangays Obong and Salvacion is still pending before the Negros Occidental Provincial Board.

In addition, the town’s Barangay Bacuyangan is also home to land pending a similar change.

“Once it is approved, everything will take off,” the mayor stated.

The land, intended for the Southern Negros Industrial Estate project, which will accommodate for a ship-breaking facility, was enacted following a memorandum of agreement signed between Negros Occidental Governor Alfredo Marañon, Jr. and executives of Tsuneishi Heavy Industries, Inc. last year.

The project has since run into obstacles, with advocacy groups, including the Save Hinoba-an Movement and local environmentalist group Green Alert Negros (GAN), protesting the project.

Earlier this month, Save Hinoba-an Movement spokesperson Jimwell Canedo claimed the project would displace at least 500 residents, noting some are beneficiaries of the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). In response, the governor said, since the land had been converted from agricultural to industrial land, the area is not eligible for CARP.

Estrao echoed the statement by the governor, adding the issue is currently being deliberated in court.

However, he also advocated for protections for displaced residents.

“They must be compensated,” the mayor said. “We have to respect their rights.”

Earlier this year, Estrao vowed each resettled family would receive 200 square meters of land, part of a proposed 14 hectares of relocation area./PLL, WDJ