SUMMERY serenity surrounds Hamilo Coast in Nasugbu, Batangas.

The encircling coves are smoothened by the blue-green waters and the precipices are cooled by the sea breeze. The view is the major attraction, what with the limitless, dramatic changes on the water surface. With no harbor yet, it's still a picturesque place on the periphery of Nasugbu, Batangas, bounded by the China Sea on the west and blanketed by mountain forests on the east.

Developer SM Land envisions Hamilo Coast as a coastal community much like Costa Rica's vacation hot spot, the Gold Coast, where residential developments target second-home owners and are anchored by well-known hotels and a golf course.

"You don't have to go all the way to Boracay or Palawan. You can drive from Manila to Nasugbu and enjoy nature, even own a piece of it," says Josefino Lucas, executive vice-president for SM Land, the property division of SM Investments Corporation, and project head of Hamilo Coast.

Best beaches

With an area of some 5,800 hectares of which 1,800 hectares will be developed, Hamilo Coast is touted as an exclusive, sustainable coastal community composed of theme villages and master planned to provide various leisure living experiences. For instance, in the later phases of development, there will be areas for schools and research, and a district for retirees.

The premium communities will offer 1,000-square meter lots with ocean views. A hotel will operate adjacent villas, which will be leased or sold.

Hamilo Coast's 25-kilometer shoreline has 13 coves, majority of which had been rechristened with distinctive Sanskrit names and with their own unique features. Pico de Loro is the first development, with its new beach club and the near completion of the residential condominiums and the country club.

Nearby Papaya Cove offers mangroves, white sand beaches and a natural harbor ideal for boat berthing. Plans are afoot to build a terminal for ferries that would sail from the Mall of Asia Complex in Pasay City.

With the completion of the Ternate-Nasugbu Highway under way, travel time will also be reduced by an hour. The accessibility is a driving factor in establishing Papaya Cove as part of the future town center of the development, a hub for members, residents and visitors. There will be retail and hospitality establishments, plus a shuttle service from the ferry terminal.

"These coves were known to yacht owners. The place could not be accessed by land. Only the privileged ones could visit each cove," says Lucas. With the construction of the condominiums and beach club in Pico de Loro, security has been tightened to ensure Hamilo Coast's exclusivity.

Santelmo Cove boasts of having the best beach within Hamilo Coast and possibly in Southern Luzon. The water is turquoise and clear to the bottom where fissured light ripples across the sand and the sands are powdery white.

Saving reefs

A study has confirmed that Hamilo Coast's foremost asset is its coastline views. It also identified the areas suitable for development based on the topography and the availability of the resources. Lucas says majority the ridges will be left untouched because construction on the slopes can lead to consequences on the environment.

The developers have partnered with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) to ensure low-impact sustainable development, a term referring to land planning and engineering that underlines conservation and use of on-site natural elements and collaboration with the community to protect the environment. Lucas says they are working on coastal reef management, reforestation, renewable energy studies and solid waste management.

"We've done initiatives with Pico de Loro, Santelmo and Etayo coves as marine-protected areas in partnership with the local government," he says. These safeguarded sanctuaries are not only conducive to fishing and boating activities, but also offer havens to coral reef and fish life.

To avoid the blunders of Cavite where coves were savaged by overfishing and coral reefs were destroyed by dynamite fishing, the developers have created cooperatives with the fisherfolk and the women to help sustain the coast's natural resources.

Another cooperative was established to provide jobs for the locals. The women are employed for landscape maintenance, estate management and beachfront cleaning.

"We need to save the coves from poachers and illegal fishermen. We have educated the fisherfolk about sea protection so they can have more fish life. We allow them to fish but not as trawlers would. They come from outside as far as Navotas. There is now a bantay dagat (coast guard) and we support the areas in the next three coves. In the coves further up in the Limbones area, we need cooperation from Cavite. It's a long coast to cover so there is a need for LGU (local government unit) participation," says Lucas.

He cites the case of Anilao, which had damaged reefs until community work established measures to control the devastation. Today, Anilao has become a popular diving destination.

Regeneration

Lucas says, "In three years' time, we are seeing aquatic life regenerating. The fisherfolk are catching bigger fish. Hamilo Coast is not as developed yet as Anilao, but in Etayo Cove there are coral reefs and marine life, ideal for diving. The place is beginning to come alive. Go snorkeling and you'll see giant clams. You can do kayaking and boating."

There have been three events of sea turtle hatching on the beachfronts in Pico de Loro and Santelmo coves. Most were of the Olive Ridley variety, considered as endangered species being the smallest of sea turtles. The WWF freed them back to the sea. They are expected to breed after 15 years.

SM Land also continues to plant mangroves to protect the water basin, and trees that can survive the climate.

"Twenty years from now, when you say 'Hamilo Coast' it will be viewed as a major destination like Boracay-only more private. This is a place for those who want to enjoy a quieter lifestyle," says Lucas.

SM Land is the new brand of property development by SM Investments Corp., from primary homes and residences to leisure developments and integrated business districts. Know more about Hamilo Coast, call 8580333 or 8191673. Visit hamilocoast.com