Perhaps it is providential that Nor-Asian Energy Ltd. pushed for an oil seismic survey along the Bohol Straits.

The combination of "lapses" and indecent haste by which the oil seismic survey was scheduled on June 18 (with threadbare public consultation) gave birth instead to authentic peaceful Boholano People Power. It is an amazing development.

The birth is not just a footnote in this episode but the highlight of the Boholanos' search for that lodestone of altruistic character that made each other say "I am my brother's keeper. He ain't heavy."

This is one story worth retelling. It will also signal the dawning of a new day. That henceforth no one - not government, not foreign investors, not economics - can ram anything on the Boholanos' throats without full justification.

This sensational stand-off that stopped the oil seismic survey on its tracks is a people's recognition that this land is our land, this sea is our sea - an environment handed by our ancestors for us to steward properly for the next generation to enjoy.

The scenario sits on a tripod-Government, Investors and the People. No two parties of the three can forge an agreement that prejudices the other. All three are equal parts of the whole.

Kudos to the people's organizations like BANGON, ELAC and Defend our Sea plus the vigilant media for rousing a timid community into political activism - the kind Mahatma Gandhi espoused - peaceful but firm and resolute. And reminded us all of the late great US president John F. Kennedy who said: "Let us not fear to negotiate but let us not negotiate out of fear."

BANGON, the IBP-Bohol Chapter and the Legal Department of the City Government will file for a restraining order on the seismic survey as a legal strategy. The LGUs led by the Governor Erico Aumentado and the town mayors of the towns to be affected showed solidarity behind their constituents.

The Friday dialogue at the Governor's Mansion showed that the Department of Energy and the Investors blinked. There was a consensus to resolve the issues affecting multi-sectoral groups and the environment first before a four-week oil survey would be implemented.

The three issues of (a) environmental impact (b) just compensation of fisher folks and fishpen operators and (c) equitable sharing of proceeds with LGUs are still contentious matters. It must be resolved with clear agreement from all stakeholders.

But statement from the Department of Energy that the oil survey will go on even if there is no agreement smacks of arrogance and bad faith. Anyhow, let all be reminded that the "boat barricade" remains a people's option - with or without a TRO - and a means to ensure compliance of the terms to be agreed upon by all parties.

Round One was a clear victory for the People. There indeed is strength in numbers - but the greatest source of power is the justness of one's cause - which not even a thousand angels declaring it unjust - can successfully drown it.

But in our euphoria, let us not lose sight of the bigger issues.

A capital-deficient Third World country, admittedly, needs foreign investors to develop our mining potentials to the hilt. Striking oil means opening the floodgates for employment - perhaps not too many of us will have to leave anymore for jobs abroad.

Our Foreign Exchange Dollar Reserves will be preserved to the extent that if we can refine oil we discover here then we don't have to buy oil abroad - a risky scenario that exposes the country to the vagaries of "oil politics" and foreign exchange risk.

But let us not ignore the larger picture.

All over the globe, scientists and government are pouring billions to discover alternative sources of energy: biofuels, electric cars, hydrogen, wind and solar energies to replace oil - the continued use of which and the resulting emission of carbon dioxide is one of the main culprits of the global warming. That is one "inconvenient truth" we all must face before we get dazed by the lure of dollars and jobs in oil exploration. What price are we prepared to pay?

Isn't it that all nations are encouraging to build more railways instead of roads because the latter still encourages the use of gas-driven vehicles - continuing the pollution?

And look at our province Bohol - our main flagship industry is tourism. Wasn't it just last year ago that one oil spill near tourism-oriented Guimaras spoiled its beaches beyond recognition, polluted the drinking water of the towns and destroyed the world-class mango plantations of the island?

And to think it was just one oil tanker passing by Guimaras that did that damage. Think about an oil exploration 5 kilometers away from our fabled shorelines?

Another inconvenient reality? Think about it.