Robertzon
Ramirez, Alexis Romero (The Philippine Star) - March 23, 2018 - 12:00am
MANILA, Philippines —
Tourists may still visit Boracay during the Holy Week because the island will
remain open during the summer season, Malacañang said yesterday.
Presidential spokesman
Harry Roque said the closure and rehabilitation of Boracay will not likely
happen during the peak summer season.
As this developed, the
island’s tourism stakeholders appealed for reconsideration of the planned
closure, but should the government push through with it, to make it a partial
closure.
The stakeholders, in a
press conference, said the jobs of 36,000 people and some P56 billion in
revenues from businesses in Boracay were at stake.
Leonard Tirol, Boracay Foundation Inc. board member, also appealed to Duterte
and other government officials to hear them first, especially with the expected
influx of tourists during the holiday break.
In another press
briefing, Roque said: “Proceed to Boracay, especially since it’s Holy Week. I
don’t think any closure will happen during the peak season of Boracay. We are
looking at possibly, if the President finally accepts the recommendations, lean
season.”
Roque said the
President has not made a decision on whether to accept the recommendation of
the agencies tasked to look into the environmental problems of the
island.
The environment,
interior and local government, and tourism departments have recommended the
one-year closure of the world-famous tourist spot to allow
its rehabilitation.
“No specific
instruction has been made by the President and if he has made a decision then,
I would most certainly be the first to announce it. So, right now, there’s not
been any decision,” Roque said.
“Right now, it’s status
quo.”
President Duterte said
on Tuesday he would support the recommendation of the interior and local
government on the Boracay clean-up.
Roque said he would ask
Cabinet Secretary Leoncio Evasco whether the environmental issues of Boracay
would be discussed in the next Cabinet meeting on April 3.
The President has
likened Boracay to a cesspool because of the lack of sewerage system. He has
also threatened to sue local officials who failed to address the island’s
environmental problems.
No new improvements during moratorium
Roque also stressed
that no new improvements would be allowed in Boracay while the six-month
moratorium on new construction is in place, following reports about plans to
establish two casino resorts in the island.
“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 right now in place for
any further improvements in Boracay,” Roque said.
“Warning to the
developer, they should know that all their development plans hinges on what the
President will decide on the issue of Boracay. But right now, there’s a
moratorium on new improvements. So, they can’t build, even if they wanted to
today, because of the moratorium,” he added.
The two companies that
are eyeing casino operations in Boracay are Macau-based Galaxy Entertainment
Group and Resorts World Manila, according to earlier reports.
Roque said new
establishments would have to comply with environmental standards, including the
maintenance of a sewerage system.
“If there is a closure
or whatever happens to Boracay, what’s imperative now is to lay
down expanded infrastructure for both drainage and sewage treatment
facilities. And that’s the argument for closing Boracay, because you can’t dig
the road, you can’t put wastewater treatments under the road, you can’t expand
the road if you have people, tourists lurking around Boracay,” Roque
said.
“I do not know if
zero-discharge will be part of the recommendation for Boracay, I would think,
it should. But at the very least, all resorts should have their
wastewater treatment
facilities,” he added.
Roque said Boracay is
being rehabilitated to make it sustainable and conducive to huge developments
and future businesses.
The spokesman also
refuted claims that the Boracay closure was intended to allow the entry of huge
businesses like casino operators.
“I don’t think
so. Because if they build a facility as big as they want to build, perhaps
the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) will require what
Shangri-La Boracay has, which is zero-discharge. When we talk about zero
discharge, that means they are actually reusing all wastewater, treating it and
reusing it either for flushing or for gardening purposes,” Roque
said.
“So, an establishment
as big as this casino will probably be required to have not just an STP (sewage
treatment plant), but the water recycling treatment facility. So the size will
not matter for as long as necessary infrastructure are there.”
Stakeholders want to be heard
The group of tourism
stakeholders in Boracay is seeking an audience with Duterte to present their
proposed solutions and their point of view on the issue.
Tirol said a partial
closure would also be more acceptable so as not to adversely affect tourism in
the island. He added it should also not be done during the peak season.
Tirol said the closure
should be done September to November, when only a few tourists are expected to
visit Boracay, instead of April when most Koreans and other nationalities
travel to the island.
But others suggested
that the partial closure be done in June or the rainy season.
Jose Clemente III,
Tourism Congress of the Philippines president, said “what we are looking for is
a general dialogue between the government and stakeholders” and at least a year
to prepare before a shutdown would be enforced.
Aside from the partial
closure, the stakeholders are also proposing to give them 60 days, from April
to May, to undertake individual rectification, clean-up and rehabilitation of
their respective properties.
They also proposed that
the government shut down only the establishments that violated the
environmental and zoning regulations and the submission of the assessment of
the solutions before the 60-day period ends.
Clemente said they were
optimistic that the President and all concerned government agencies involved in
the issue would listen.
“More than the effect
of closure to individual business entities, the contribution of this (island)
to the country’s economy cannot be disregarded,” the stakeholders said in a
statement.
Sonia Lazo, managing
director of Intas Destinations, warned it would take a year or two before the
Philippines can regain the country’s tourism salability if Boracay will be
closed.
“We are off here in our
position in the world travel industry, but once we have negative news like the
closure of Boracay, then it will fall down. It will all crumble. A lot of hard
work for all of us again,” Lazo said.
“Our recovery will be
far more difficult,” she said, specifically citing the European market.
Reacting to the
Department of Tourism (DOT)’s claim that tourists can visit other destinations,
Clemente pointed out that the readiness, capacity and security of other
destinations should be addressed.
While the issue on
Boracay closure is raging, the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH)
said it will improve the infrastructure in the island to make travel more
convenient.
In a statement, the
DPWH Region 6 Director Wenceslao Leaño reported to Public Works Secretary
Mark Villar that the construction for the P220-million access road project to
Caticlan Airport is already underway, along with the improvement of Boracay
Circumferential Road with an allocation of P50 million. – Evelyn Macairan, Louella Desiderio
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