SEARCH AND DESTROY:
Army trainees carrying shovels march to dig illegal sewerage pipes on the resort island of Boracay over the weekend. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources is being assisted by the military in locating and destroying illegal pipes during the six-month closure of Boracay.
The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) has mobilized the construction of a temporary discharge pipeline to fast-track rehabilitation activities in Boracay at the onset of the rainy season in June.
“The temporary outfall will prevent flooding on various underground utilities and road construction projects while TIEZA and the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) augment their de-clogging activities in the drainage systems and sewerage facilities of Boracay,” TIEZA said in a statement.
The outfall will have a discharge pipe extending up to 800 meters offshore of Balabag beach, catering to drainage water from the central Boracay section.
Under Executive Order No. 53 which created the Boracay InterAgency Task Force, the TIEZA is directed to undertake completion of the drainage system program, to work with DPWH in the establishment of flood control infrastructures, and to ensure the completion of expansion programs of water and sewerage system in the three barangays of Boracay Island.
“The Boracay Interagency Task Force, chaired by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), along with the local government of Aklan, TIEZA and Boracay Water are actively pursuing programs to address the island’s drainage and sewage issues to ensure Class SB quality of the beach waters,” TIEZA said.
“They are urging all establishments to do their share in contributing to the speedy rehabilitation of the island by way of connecting to the existing sewerage system of Boracay Water to ensure that wastewater is properly collected and treated according to the standards of DENR,” it added.
TIEZA also clarified that the government-built sewerage system discovered at the beachfront last weekend was built decades ago, with the necessary government approvals.
“Representatives from TIEZA and Boracay Water assured officials from the DENR that the sewer system is operating and capacitized to prevent overflows to the beach waters,” TIEZA said.
The agency pointed out that the major cause of manhole overflows and water pollution in Boracay is the refusal of many establishments to connect to the proper sewerage system and illegally tapping to the drainage line.
Last weekend, trainees of the Philippine Army successfully excavated 28 illegal pipes at the Boracay beachfront.
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said of the 28 excavated pipes, 26 were releasing wastewater to the sea.
“The President said Boracay is a ‘cesspool.’ Those illegal pipes unearthed came from establishments that carry with them bacteria coming from human feces. It is called e-coliform,” he added.
The underground pipes built by the Philippine Tourism Authority (now known as TIEZA) that encroached into Boracay’s main beach area were also found.
Cimatu was quoted as saying the discovery was “very disturbing.”
“Boracay Water allayed the fears of Secretary Cimatu and presented its plan to upgrade and expand the sewer network along Balabag main road, which will accommodate higher flows coming from the beach front,” the TIEZA said.
TIEZA added that Boracay Water committed to complete the Balabag Sewer Network Rehabilitation Project in four months.
“This is a faster and more feasible alternative to relocating the sewer network which may affect more establishments and require acquisition of right-of-way that may take a longer time to complete beyond the closure period,” the agency said.
In a ceremony held over the weekend, Cimatu lauded the 100 trainees of the 3rd Infantry Division of the Philippine Army in Jamindan, Capiz for detecting illegal pipes.
“I will call you ‘Boracay Centurion.’ My order to you is ‘search and destroy’ the illegal pipes, not with rifles but with shovels,” he added.
The Army trainess, headed by Col. Dennis Tanzo, were deployed in all three stations of Boracay’s beachfront, with total length of 4.5 kilometers.
Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores provided shovels. The provincial government also provided three backhoes and manpower assistance in excavating buried illegal pipes.
The trainees are on a four-month training at Camp Peralta, a requirement prior to their enlistment to the Army.
President Duterte ordered the closure of Boracay for six months starting April 26 to clean and rehabilitate the island.