ILOILO City – Can the Department of Environment and Natural Resources return Boracay Island to its pristine state in six months? How will it do this?
After assessing the island, DENR led by Secretary Roy Cimatu identified five key problem areas and the steps to address them.
The problem areas are the following:
* drainage and sewerage management
* solid waste management
* forestlands and easement recovery and alienable and disposable lands management
* road and transport
* biodiversity conservation, wetlands rehabilitation and geohazards management
Sen. Antonio Trillanes urged the Senate committee on tourism the other day to look into the master plan for the island destination, including the rehabilitation, relocation, and workers’ livelihood.
“Barely two weeks before the impending six-month shutdown, the government has yet to present a blueprint on how it will rehabilitate the island and mitigate the impact of the closure to its inhabitants,” said Trillanes.
DENR proposes to address drainage and sewerage through, among others, the following:
* opening and unclogging of drainages
* siphoning, desilting, and water treatment
* cutting of illegal lines
* treatment and disposal of stale water in holding tank
* building of temporary interceptor in drainage outfall
* rehabilitation of Balabag Sewerage Treatment Plant
According to Cimatu, poor implementation of environmental regulations, encroachment of structures and the influx of people beyond the island’s carrying capacity have taken a toll on the 1,032-hectare island.
For forestlands and easement recovery and alienable and disposable lands management, DENR said it will prepare spatial data on Boracay and management of public lands, which will include:
* sending of show-cause orders and evaluation of answers
* sending of notice to vacate (NTV) in forestlands
* filing of cases in court (against those in violation of the Forestry Reform Code of the Philippines and Presidential Proclamation No. 1064)
* sending of notices to demolish
* identification of resettlement areas
To protect wetlands, illegal structures, piled debris, sediments, and invasive alien species will be removed, according to the department.
For geohazards management, DENR will update the Sinkhole and Cave Inventory Geotechnical Studies and monitor for signs of karst subsidence.
To protect biodiversity, a Boracay Island Critical Habitats will also be established and Wildlife Enforcement Officers will also be deputized.
To address solid waste management concerns, environmentalist and senator Loren Legarda suggested that DENR strictly implement the Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) Act which promotes segregation of garbage at its source, segregated transportation, processing, treatment and proper disposal of solid waste.
This law emphasizes on recycling so that less garbage is actually brought to the sanitary landfill and those brought to the final disposal site are effectively maintained.
It bans open dumpsites, the use of incinerators, and burning of waste. It promotes the use of environment-friendly disposal of solid waste.
“We have seen successes in the implementation of the Ecological Solid Waste Management Law, specifically in San Fernando City in Pampanga where waste diversion rate is at 78 percent; and in Barangay Fort Bonifacio in Taguig City which diverts 80 percent of its waste simply by building a materials recovery facility (MRF) and hiring waste collectors to visit every household, check their garbage, separate organic waste and bring it to the facility,” said Legarda.
She also cited as examples barangays Neogan in Tagaytay City and Potrero in Malabon City, which won the Metro Manila Development Authority’s Best Solid Waste Management Program Award in 2015 because of its successful implementation of the ESWM Law.
“Within six months, Boracay could replicate the system of turning waste into opportunities by establishing MRFs in strategic locations within the island. A massive information drive on ecological solid waste management should also be done,” said Legarda.
LABOR DISPLACEMENT CONCERN
Meanwhile, while on a visit to Antique Sen. Paolo Benigno “Bam” Aquino IV said the government should look into giving assurance to informal and service workers that they could return to their jobs after the end of the six-month total closure of Boracay.
He also urged the government to look into providing support to workers who would be displaced by the shutdown starting April 26.
Aquino, who was here as commencement speaker of the University of Antique main campus in Sibalom town on Tuesday, said that given the environmental situation in Boracay, it is really no longer sustainable to keep operating.
Negosyo Centers in Aklan should be activated so they could also assist displaced Boracay workers, he said.
Legarda, on the other hand, echoed the call of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) not to terminate employees during the six-month closure of Boracay and instead observe a “No Work, No Pay” scheme or require employees to utilize leave credits, if possible.
“I hope the concerned government agencies are reaching out to all affected workers and residents and are ready to extend maximum assistance towards the affected population,” Legarda said.
Aside from the initial P60 million for the emergency employment assistance that will employ 5,000 informal sector workers and members of the indigenous community for the cleanup, Legarda said DOLE should also utilize the Tulong Panghanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced (TUPAD) Workers Program, which has a budget of P2.3 Billion for this year.
DOLE’s TUPAD Workers Program helps cushion the effects of unemployment, especially for laid-off or retrenched workers, as well as for self-employed workers whose livelihoods have been damaged by disasters and other crises, such as the impending temporary closure of Boracay.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development, on the other hand, will set up two operation centers to facilitate the release of cash, supplies, and welfare services for the affected residents of Boracay.
The Department of Tourism has also announced that, upon the resumption of Boracay operations after six months, it will enforce a limit on tourist arrivals on the island. The quota will be determined following the update of the DENR of the island’s current carrying capacity. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
