Eldest Among the Seven

Sampaloc Lake the most prominent of the seven lakes of San Pablo City has provided shelter employment and inspiration to its immediate community for countless decades In return the natural resource suffered from indiscriminate use of the residents themselves and the consequences of rapid urbanization Recently the local government have implemented a clearing of all residential structures within the legal easement of the dying lake to pave the way for a tourism master plan that endeavors to balance revenue and environmental protection In the eve of the clearing operations film maker Dennis Empalmado documented the final musings of the residents advocates and artists whose lives revolved around the 99 hectare crater lake