Gov't orders 2 water concessionaires in Boracay to team up

Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu has ordered the two water concessionaires in Boracay to work together in fixing and developing the sewerage system of the island.

This, while he ordered an investigation on what caused a spike in coliform levels in Bulabog beach.

Coliforms, which contain disease-causing organisms, are a broad class of bacteria that includes human and animal feces.

“That was a bright spot in our efforts. We were able to decrease it to 2,000 [most probable number per 100 milliliters] after a trend of millions over the past two years. And then here comes the shocking report that it has again reached two million,” Cimatu said.

This, he said, prompted him to order intensified actions against establishments illegally connected to the drainage system.

In separate meetings with the Boracay Island Water Company (BIWC) and the Boracay Tubi Systems, Inc. (BTSI), Cimatu instructed both companies to improve connections to the sewer and drainage lines.

“This task is crucial to improving Boracay’s water quality, and is instrumental for us to recommend the reopening of the island,” Cimatu said.

“Any kind of water that is being discharged into the sea should be treated first,” he added.

Cimatu said the government would not have reached this stage where it needs to have Boracay closed if everyone worked together sooner.

"We have to clean the drainage system now. We also have to make people responsible for the discharge, whether they are connected or not, because this is what is causing the problem,” he further stressed.

He then assured both companies of the support from the DENR and the Department of Public Works and Highways, which was represented during the meetings, and promised to sign the necessary permits or clearances.

The BWIC, owned by Ayala Group, agreed to set up interceptors that would trap any water from the drainage system and treat the water first before being discharged into the sea.

As for Lucio Tan's BTSI, Cimatu tasked the company to clean up the water around its facility in Sitio Lugotan in Barangay Manoc-Manoc and revive the mangrove forest in the area.

He also lauded BTSI’s proposal to sponsor a water quality management area where stakeholders themselves would monitor the quality of a water body and initiate efforts to maintain its cleanliness.