Fortune Island (Philippines)
 Fortune Island (Philippines) (Philippines)
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| Geography | |
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| Location | South East Asia |
| Archipelago | Philippines |
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Philippines
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Fortune Island is a resort island in the Philippines. The 27-hectare (66.7-acre) island lies about 14 kilometers (8.7 mi) off the coast of Nasugbu, Batangas, Philippines. The island is located at Latitude: 14° 3' 0 N, Longitude: 120° 28' 60 E; and it is within the boundaries of the Batangas Province.
[edit] Shipwrecks
It was near this island (approximately 900 meters (2953 ft) northwest of the island) that the galleon San Diego was sunk on December 14, 1600 by the Dutch warship Mauritius under the command of Admiral Oliver Van Noort. The shipwreck was discovered in 1992 by French underwater archaeologist Franck Goddio.
This island has also been the site of modern shipwrecks. On December 13, 1995, the MV Kimelody Cristy, a passenger ferry owned and operated by Moreta Shipping Lines Incorporated, caught fire and sank off Fortune Island as it was on its way to Mindoro, leaving 17 people dead and 16 people missing.[1] On September 20, 1998, the MV Princess of the Orient, a Sulpicio Lines-owned passenger ferry, was caught in a typhoon on its way to Cebu City from Manila and sank off Fortune Island, resulting in the deaths of 150 people.[2]
[edit] Ownership and development
The island was long-owned by Jose Antonio Leviste, a former governor of the Province of Batangas. Leviste opened the Fortune Island Resort Club on the island in 1995. A beach resort was built along a 20-meter (65.6 ft) stretch of pristine white sand. Several rest houses face the water. There is a museum dedicated to the San Diego . The beach also has an acropolis with Grecian pillars and statues on the edge of the island overlooking the sea. The resort also features a salt-water swimming pool, clubhouse, cabana, basketball court, helipad, desalinator for freshwater consumption, and snakes placed in a mirror cage.[3] [4]
This island has since been parceled out into seven lots reportedly titled in the names of three companies: Fortune Resort Club, Inc., Meridian Pacific Hotel Corp., and Batangas Bay Development, Inc. Leviste holds either majority stocks or has interests in these companies.
Some government officials believe that Leviste’s ownership of Fortune Island underwent “scheming procedures” to acquire both judicial and administrative titles. These officials believe that these titles should never have been granted for two reasons, firstly, the island is classified as a marine reserve under Proclamation 1801, issued in 1978 by President Ferdinand Marcos and, secondly, Section 16 of Presidential Decree 705 (the Revised Forestry Code), which provides that “areas less than 250 hectares which are far from, or are not contiguous with, any certified alienable and disposable land" are “areas needed for forest purposes and may not, therefore, be classified as alienable and disposable land.” Some government officials further contend that subdividing Fortune Island into lots was a “ploy” to skirt environmental and other pertinent laws.[5] [6]
[edit] References
- ^ http://epskee.multiply.com/journal/item/74/The_Worst_Maritime_Disasters_in_Philippine_History
- ^ http://epskee.multiply.com/journal/item/74/The_Worst_Maritime_Disasters_in_Philippine_History
- ^ http://www.manilatimes.net/others/special/2004/mar/17/20040317spe1.html
- ^ http://www.manilatimes.net/others/special/2004/mar/15/20040315spe1.html
- ^ http://www.manilatimes.net/others/special/2004/mar/17/20040317spe1.html
- ^ http://www.manilatimes.net/others/special/2004/mar/15/20040315spe1.html
