BY PRINCE GOLEZ and ADRIAN STEWART CO
MANILA – If rehabilitation activities are completed early, the closure of Boracay Island might be less than six months, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).
The six-month closure was just a recommendation, clarified Assistant Secretary Ricky Alegre. The island’s reopening will be based on how fast the cleanup process is finished, he stressed.
“Maaaring maging less than six months, depende sa tulong ng taumbayan,” said Alege.
The biggest challenge to the cleanup, he said, is the discharge of untreated wastewater into the sea.
DOT, together with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Department of the Interior and Local Government recommended a six-month closure of Boracay to tourism activities starting April 26.
Alegre said an island shutdown is necessary to reduce the discharge of untreated wastewater into the sea.
But this may entail stopping the distribution of water in the island, too, he said.
“Kapag nag-distribute ng water, let’s say one million cubic meters, kailangan mo rin mag-treat nang ganoon karaming tubig,” he explained.
“Kaya hindi pwedeng magkaroon ng bisita…walang water supply,” said Alegre.
The chairman of Boracay Foundation, hotelier Henry Chusuey, said early this month that Boracay’s wastewater problem could be solved even “in two or three months” if stakeholders only follow environmental rules starting with being connected to the island’s wastewater treatment plants.
The treatment plants are operated by Boracay Island Water Company (BIWC) – in Barangay Manoc-Manoc and in Barangay Balabag – and by Boracay Tubi System, Inc.
“If there are no violators, there would be no dirty water in Boracay,” said Chusuey. “They don’t want to pay (so) they just (discharge their wastewater) in(to the) drainage system.”
Meanwhile, Senate President Aquilino “Koko” Pimentel III suggested blocking public access to Boracay’s beach.
“The beach (should be closed to water activities) because there is danger to human health,” he said.
In that sense, he said, the island is “closed”, the beach being Boracay’s main attraction.
President Rodrigo Duterte likened Boracay to a cesspool.
But establishments complying with environmental rules and regulations should be allowed to operate, stressed the Senate chief.
“Yung mga may violation lang (ang ipasara),” said Pimentel.
Meanwhile, Sen. Joel Villanueva said penalizing violators of environmental laws in Boracay is the “more practical” solution to Boracay’s environmental problems.
A complete shutdown would adversely affect the island’s tourism and economic activities, said Villanueva.
“The implementation of (environmental) laws need not require a unilateral and immediate closure of the island,” he said.
CONSTRUCTION MORATORIUM
Meanwhile, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the move to temporarily close Boracay has nothing to do with the construction of two new casinos on the island, but only to fix top tourist spot’s environmental woes.
He explained that a moratorium on building construction on Boracay, presented by the municipal government of Malay in Aklan, is expected to be implemented starting June.
“We’re fixing it, so it becomes a sustainable environment,” Roque said. “I don’t really know how the temporary closure will affect the casinos because they will have to construct. But what I do know is there’s a moratorium in place for any further improvements in Boracay.”
Roque added if the casinos are indeed constructed in Boracay, the Environment department is bound to require them to include zero-discharge facilities that allow the reuse of waste water.
“If they build a facility as big as they want to build, perhaps the DENR will require what Shangrila Boracay has, which is zero discharge. When we talk about zero discharge, that means they’re actually reusing all waste water, treating it and reusing it either for flushing or for gardening purposes,” Roque said.
Roque also stressed developers had been warned that plans to develop infrastructure in Boracay would depend on the President’s decision to act on the proposed closure.
“Gaya ng sinabi ko po (As I said) the last time, caveat developer, warning to the developer, they should know that all their development plans hinges on what the President will decide upon on the issue of Boracay,” Roque said. “Right now, there’s a moratorium on new improvements, so they can’t build even if they wanted to.”
He pointed out that whether or not the plan to construct two casinos in Boracay pushes through, the government still has to put up more infrastructure for both drainage and sewage treatment facilities there.
“That’s the argument for closing Boracay because you can’t dig the roads, you can’t put waste water treatment under the road, you can’t expand the roads if you have tourists lurking around Boracay,” Roque said. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
