Saving Boracay
PANAY Island has 10 congressmen but not one of them came close to what their colleague from Samar, Edgar Mary Sarmiento did – propose that the government strictly regulate the development and the influx of tourists in Boracay and other major tourism spots to ensure their long- term sustainability.
Sarmiento was one of several members of the House of Representatives who embarked on the so- called “Western- Eastern National Highway Expedition” recently, a brainchild of Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez and House Majority Leader Rodolfo Fariñas. Visiting Boracay, he immediately noticed the rapid degradation of the island, one of the country’s top tourism spots.
The t r uth i s overdevelopment and overpopulation is causing too much stress on Boracay, which has attracted 1.7 million visitors in 2016 alone. Several studies have shown the detrimental environmental impacts that tourism has caused Boracay, such as poor water quality, beach erosion, and decrease in coral cover. The massive influx of tourists and the explosive population growth in the island places it at the risk of destruction. This is highly detrimental as our citizens are reaping numerous benefits from the thriving tourism industry in the area.
A question needs to be asked: Is the Department of Tourism’s (DOT) thrust only centered on how to generate tourists but not on how to protect the country’s tourist destinations?
In Boracay, there’s an abundance of algal growth which may be related to pollution and the presence of waste matter surrounding the island. Perhaps DOT and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources could adopt policies and practices that would stop the island’s rapid environmental decline. Perhaps they can set specific parameters in terms of capacity and start limiting the number of resorts and inns that are coming out like mushrooms even in interior areas. Boracay has long been considered one of the best islands in the world. While it rakes in a lot of revenues for the people and the government, there is a need to protect it – and other tourist destinations, too – from over development and overcapacity. The State has the duty to preserve our natural resources. Environmental degradation is proof of its failure to do its duty.
Congressman Sarmiento believes Congress now needs to intervene so he filed House Resolution 1087 which urges the House Committee on Tourism to conduct an inquiry “into the roadmap, programs, projects and action plans of DOT that aim to regulate tourists spots in order to promote sustainability.”
Congress better come up with a law that would clearly define policies in managing tourist destinations such as Boracay to promote tourism while ensuring the protection of the environment.
Let us save Boracay from turning into a wasteland.