The island of Boracay in the Philippines is a world-renowned tourist destination with crystal clear water, white sand and a rich nightlife and culture. However, the island’s natural beauty has been undervalued – something that prompted President Rodrigo Duterte to order the temporary closure of the island, which he described as a cesspool.
The rehabilitation officially started on April 26, led by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR). It is expected to take at least six months, but will depend on the true state of environmental conditions on the island.
Upon further investigation spearheaded by DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu, 33 pipes were discovered to be illegally discharging water – three were dumping wastewater directly onto the Boracay beachfront. Ground-penetrating radar was used by the Mines and Geosciences Bureau to trace the pipelines' positions beneath Boracay, but Cimatu did not disclose where on the island the underground pipelines were located.
"We will really look into [this situation]. We will excavate those pipes because we can't say Boracay has been cleared if [the discharge is not] stopped," Cimatu told Filipino media ABS-CBN News.
According to the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), only 25 out of 1,080 establishments in Boracay met the needed requirements to operate on the island.
Another View: OPINION: Duterte Bets on Chinese Corporates over Locals with Boracay Shutdown
'Unregulated and unsustainable'
The News Lens had a chance to interview Vince Cinches, oceans campaigner for Greenpeace Philippines, a non-governmental environmental organization. Here’s what he thinks about the temporary shutdown of Boracay Island:
TNL: As an Oceans Campaigner for Greenpeace Philippines, do you agree that Boracay needed to be closed temporarily?
GP: We may not agree as to how it is being implemented and are strongly opposed to having any other new structures built in the area, but Greenpeace is supportive of the move to rehabilitate Boracay, as this is part of our long-standing call to allow our seas to recover.
The high presence of fecal coliform [bacteria in the feces of warm-blooded animals] because of the lack of septic treatment plants, regular harmful algal blooms and the deterioration of marine ecosystems such as corals, water pollution are due to a violation of the 2004 Clean Water Act and the Solid Waste Management Act, as well as construction on wetlands and unregulated tourism.
These are just some of the few environmental issues in Boracay that accumulated over the course of more than three decades [as a tourist hopt spot]. Failure to enforce the Philippine's environmental laws by both the national government and the local government of the Province of Aklan, in which Borocay Island is located, coupled with the greed of businesses that shortcut the necessary application processes has led Boracay to where it is now. A cesspool.
TNL: Do you think that six months is enough for the island to recover?
GP: For us, the six-month closure is not enough to allow Boracay to recover, rehabilitate, and be restored, but it is a good start, and there should be clear objectives within the time frame to identify elements for recovery such as ecosystems assessment, re-evaluation and redevelopment of the comprehensive land use plan, marine resource evaluation, a sustainable tourism plan, treatment of indigenous lands and equitability.
TNL: Media reports suggest that as many as 36,000 jobs could be lost on the island as a result of the closure, what are your thoughts on this?
GP: The Philippine government should step in and provide other sources of income, but then again, we would like to bring the discussion to the table -- the reason the island is being rehabilitated is because of years of neglect; of business profiteering at the expense of the island ecosystem. The people should know that they can’t go on exploiting the island without consequences. The island ecosystem should be allowed to recover and in order to provide sustainable sources of income for businesses, as there are no jobs on a dead planet.
Boracay reflects the current state of many tourist destinations in the Philippines: unregulated and unsustainable. But there are areas of hope in the where the managers of tourism destinations are doing it correctly: carrying capacity is established, priority benefits are given to communities, and ecosystems are protected. Tourism and environmental protection are complementary and should not be taken in isolation from each other.
Tourism and environmental protection are complementary and should not be taken in isolation from each other.
TNL: Does Greenpeace Philippines participate in or support the campaign to give Boracay Island time to heal?
GP: Yes. Boracay mirrors the current state of the marine ecosystem and environment in the Philippines -- it is degrading. A majority of the country’s fishing grounds are over-fished and marine ecosystem is facing a crisis due to pollution and other man-made disasters -- I think it is high time that we reframe and correct how tourism should function to address poverty and protect the environment, and we have that opportunity today.
Many locals were displaced and many jobs have also been compromised. On the plus side, the government has allocated funds for the island’s rehabilitation, including offering financial assistance to the locals and workers that have been affected by the island’s temporary shutdown.
The government take
Former DENR Secretary Gina Lopez also expressed her thoughts about the Boracay closure. As an environmentalist, a temporary shutdown is the only way to rehabilitate the entire island. In an interview with ANC anchor Karen Davila, Lopez said that she admires President Duterte’s strong stand in closing the island.
She said it was the president that challenged the people to do what is right, not only in Boracay but also in many other places in the country. According to Lopez, the president’s decision to shut down the island resulted in a “shift in consciousness” among Filipinos. People are now more careful. She also said that she wanted people to understand that the environment is extremely critical to economic development and sustainability.
Boracay Island alone reportedly gives P56 billion (US$1.07 billion) to the government annually.
PAGCOR (Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation) also reportedly gave a permit to a Chinese group to build a casino on the island, but DENR executive Roy Cimatu said that it is not a good idea to host this kind of entertainment in Boracay.
Furthermore, Lopez affirmed that she wants to have the original settlers of Boracay, the Ati, to be included in the island’s development initiatives. These indigenous people can only be found in the secluded areas of the island, but Lopez reiterated that they should be included in plans to encourage interaction between locals and tourists.
Read Next: PHILIPPINES: Residents Speak Out over Shuttering of Boracay Island's Tourist Industry
TNL Editor: Morley J Weston
