BORACAY’S White Beach and Yapak Beach (or Puka Shell Beach) are among the 25 best beaches in Asia, according to the popular travel website TripAdvisor. The website recently released the results of its 2019 Travelers’ Choice Awards.
This is good news, coming as it is in the wake of the six-month closure of Boracay Island for a massive cleanup (from April to October 2018). The government should work hard to make Boracay a model for ecological solid waste management (ESWM). The island, known for its white sand beaches and pristine waters, will lose its attractiveness fast if tourists find it unclean.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources – Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) must exercise utmost vigilance especially in monitoring compliance to or violation of environmental laws such as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (Republic Act 9003) and the Clean Water Act (Republic A 9275).
Yes, there must be a stronger implementation of Republic Act 9003 and full compliance to it (but not only in Boracay but all throughout the country). Let us make Boracay a model green island that exercises the elements of a blue economy, respecting and protecting the water around it.
In the TripAdvisor website, most of the comments about Boracay acknowledged the successful rehabilitation of the island. For example, one read: “Boracay still has it! After the six months rehab the Boracay White Beach is cleaner and clear. It has maintained its popularity among tourists and locals. It’s really lovely during sunsets. The burst of colors is awesome. I saw garbage bins which were absent before.”
This TripAdvisor citation of Boracay is indicative of the positive reactions to the reforms and new policies being implemented in an effort to inculcate a culture of sustainable tourism. Let us do the same, too, in other tourist havens.
