DENR sees Boracay environmental rehab completed soon

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) expects to conclude its rehabilitation efforts soon on the resort island of Boracay, noting the decline in water contamination levels along the main tourist strip on the western shoreline.

Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said late Tuesday that the cleanup is “almost finished” due to the relocation of illegal settlers in the wetlands, who were blamed for fecal contamination in the water.

“The culprit, the cause of the high coliform content came from the wetlands where some people live in. And while they live there, the coliform is there,” he added.

“There’s a relocation site in the mainland. If the settlements on Boracay are gone, then slowly things will get better.”

Mr. Cimatu also said that despite the six-month timetable, the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) is expected to be on the ground longer. The task force is composed of the DENR, the Department of Tourism and the Department of the Interior and Local Government.

“This is what is given to us — the rehabilitation aspect of six months. But we’ll stay there for a year and a half as an interagency task force,” he added.

“We’ll have to continue… especially with what else we can do for Boracay. There’s a lot of other things we can do there.”

Meanwhile, the Environment Management Bureau is continuing its evaluation of the island, monitoring business compliance with environmental laws and DENR regulations.

In a statement on Wednesday, the BIATF said it plans to set up a one-stop shop to assist business owners in meeting requirements needed to open their establishments once the Boracay shutdown ends on Oct. 26.

The DENR has its own one-stop shop to verify the status, classification and compliance of establishments with easement rules.

It also verifies whether business owners need an environmental compliance certificate or a certificate of non-coverage. The latter only applies to those establishments with five rooms or less. —