By Alfred Acenas
EBC Hawai‘i Bureau
HONOLULU (Eagle News) — “Wild Wild West!” is how Department of Interior and Local Government Officer-in-Charge (DILG OIC) Eduardo Año described Boracay during a Town Hall Meeting hosted by the Philippine Consulate General in Honolulu on May 19, 2018. Año explained that the temporary closure was necessary to give Boracay Island the time to heal and recoup its original feature and ecosystem and that piecemeal rehabilitation was no longer feasible.
Attempting to size up Boracay’s coastlines with those in Waikiki, Año cited a 2003 edition of Time Magazine that supposedly portrayed Boracay as the “next world tourist destination.” But he admitted there was no plan then on how to develop Boracay to that end.
The DILG OIC stated that various problems began mounting in the last decade with little or no government intervention. Boracay’s optimal population, for example, had already surpassed 30,000 as of 2008. The average population at present has been around 110,000. As a result, according to Año, more houses and buildings had to be constructed.
Año even presented some disturbing statistics.
“A human being produces two and a half kilos of waste everyday,” he stated. He calculated that, given the 110,000 people on Boracay, about 110 to 115 tons of waste were being produced daily. The local government could only handle 30 tons. He alleged that business establishments were hoarding and hiding the waste, only to be pumped out for disposal at night as they were not connected into the sewer system. Some were being thrown out to the sea. Out of the 1,080 establishments audited, only 18 percent were connected to the sewers. Moreover, some establishments illegally disposed of their waste into the drainage system intended only for floods or rainwater. Jokingly, the DILG head coined Boracay as “Smoky Mountain with a Beach.”
One major project on the island currently includes widening the main road. Prior to closure, the road was just six meters (20 feet) wide; three meters for each lane. The plan is to widen it to 12 meters (39 feet), which will include sidewalks and bicycle lanes. A related plan is to promote walking as the primary mode of transportation, with bicycling and e-tricycles as the alternate means.
In addition, the 10.32 square meter (3.98 square mile) island used to have nine wetlands; only four remained due to the building of shopping malls, hotels, and restaurants over the years. Año briefed that the demolitions of the said structures would hopefully set conditions to restore the other five wetlands.
The seven key result areas or milestones that Año mentioned included providing social safety nets; ensuring health and sanitation; decongestion; and enforcing the rule of law. His department aims to accomplish them by the target date of October 26, 2018.
Meanwhile, Jeff Agapay, a longtime travel and tourism expert from Hawaii, believed that six months is not a long time. “Funding to fix the problems may be a hurdle,” he added, “But it’s necessary to bring back revenue to their current hurting tourism industry.” He went on that the Philippine Government needs to be proactive in developing an innovative approach to protecting their waters and natural environment, as well as to improve its communications with the private sector and the general public.
Furthermore, Agapay addressed similar concerns about Waikiki, especially if its vulnerabilities were to be left unchecked. He acknowledged that Waikiki has its own set of issues as well. ”
Back in August 2015,” Agapay said, “there was a sewage spill on the famous Waikiki area.” Heavy rain associated with a major storm caused debris to clog up drains, causing the overflow of sewage into the Ala Wai Canal and onto the beaches in Waikiki, resulting in the closure all of the beaches therein. Still, Agapay expressed confidence that agencies like the Hawaii State Department of Health and the City’s Environmental Services, together with engineers from the public and private sectors, will be on alert and responsive to crises.
Boracay Island, located in the Visayas regions, has been closed for rehabilitation since April 26 after President Rodrigo Duterte declared a State of Calamity on the top tourist destination.
(Eagle News Service)