Boracay sinkholes increasing in number—MGB

THE Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Mines and Geosciences Bureau (DENR-MGB) has observed and documented sinkholes in three villages of the world famous Boracay Island since 2018.

Mae Magarzo, MGB chief geologist in Western Visayas, cited the latest geological survey showing that the number of sinkholes in the island has increased.

She fears that the island might collapse as 815 sinkholes have been discovered.

Data showed that the number of sinkholes on the island went up from 798 in 2018 to 801 in 2019, 814 in 2020, and 815 between 2021 and 2022, in barangays Balabag, Manoc-manoc and Yapak.

Magarzo stressed that the island’s current physical carrying capacity must be strictly implemented amid increasing number of infrastructures being built on the island.

She raised concern that sinkholes could cause the ground to collapse, and that such occurrence is difficult to determine, unlike the occurrence of landslides through the observation of cracks or lowering elevation.

“We can see that there are more holes. The danger is, if the island is overcapacitated in structures, there would come a time when many (of these) structures might collapse,” she said.

Based on the DENR “subsidence susceptibility map,” the island in Malay town is highly susceptible to subsidence or ground sinking as it also sits on a fault line.

Magarzo said the island is made of limestone that is vulnerable to sinkholes.

Boracay’s carrying capacity assessment in 2018 showed structures built on the island had exceeded the ideal number.

There are at least 10,250 houses on the island or 4,712 units more than the 5,538 real carrying capacity for residential structures.

The island has 2,779 business establishments, 878 units more than the 1,901 RCC for business.

Boracay has a tourist carrying capacity of 19,215 or a daily capacity of 6,405.

Malay, Aklan Mayor Floribar Bautista said Boracay receives about 4,000 tourists daily, which is still within the island’s carrying capacity as allowed by the government.

Bautista issued the statement on the heels of the MGB’s disclosure that more than 800 sinkholes have appeared on the island.

“Basta hindi tayo bababa sa 4,000 a day…ang mga residents na lang sa Boracay nasa 38,000 yan eh,” Bautista told TeleRadyo.