Decision to close Boracay

ONE can say that this piece is already water under the bridge since President Duterte has approved the recommendation of three government agencies, namely, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Department of Tourism (DOT), and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to close the resort island of Boracay for six months.

The president’s description of the place as “cesspool” decidedly put a halt to the influx of tourist to the place.

I am not writing this to discuss the inadequacies and ineptness of the local government unit and those running their private entities while thinking only of the earnings they can make at the expense of the tourists.

But it is perhaps proper and timely to mention here that the shortcomings, the myopic thinking and the vested interests of all concerned took a toll on the environment, which is an important facet of tourism.

What I want to talk about, which certainly is not water under the bridge, is the urgency and necessity of the Boracay closure.

We must admit that the problems that caused embarrassment to Boracay, famous for its powdery white sand and shallow azure water. But it did not happen overnight, or to put it frankly, during Duterte’s presidency.

Boracay’s degradation has been blamed on the failure by the local government to enforce ordinances on marine conservation, garbage disposal and sanitation, and zoning and construction rules.

Also, that at least 300 hotels, resorts and inns have been ignoring an ordinance that requires them to build their own sewage and wastewater treatment facilities. They have instead been dumping waste into canals meant only for rainwater and surface overflow.

While past administrations acted like the three proverbial monkeys exemplifying the principle of “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil,” Duterte used his leadership and political will to make a difference in Boracay. After all, it is the long range plan of sustaining the grandeur of Boracay for the country’s tourism industry that matters most.--Jesus Sievert