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BY PRINCE GOLEZ
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February 15, 2018
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DENR, DOT brace for pollution crackdown
MANILA – The massive cleanup of Boracay is “a bitter pill that we have to swallow” to collectively save and sustain the island, according to Tourism secretary Wanda Teo.
The cleanup includes the closure of some 200 tourism establishments in Boracay violating environmental regulations.
Environment secretary Roy Cimatu said notices of violation and closure would be issued to business establishments found not complying with the Clean Water Act 2004 (Republic Act 9275), specifically those not connected to any sewage treatment facility and are instead discharging sewage and untreated wastewater into Boracay’s environment.
He, however, clarified that these establishments have two months to improve compliance.
Teo said it was “high time to order the closure.” She rallied people into supporting the six-month ultimatum President Rodrigo Duterte gave Boracay stakeholders to fix environmental problems in the world-famous resort island.
Areas of violation she cited also included easement as well as solid waste disposal.
Cimatu said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ (DENR) crackdown will continue until the pollution problem in Boracay is addressed.
The goal, he said, was to raise compliance to the Clean Water Act and other environmental laws.
Wastewater is a pollutant-laden waste in liquid state, according to the Act.
It defines sewage as “water-borne human or animal wastes, excluding oil or oil wastes, removed from residences, building, institutions, industrial and commercial establishments, together with such groundwater, surface water, and stormwater, as may be present, including such waste from vessels, offshore structures, other receptacles intended to receive or retain waste or other places or the combination thereof.”
The Department of Tourism (DOT) confirmed that a Compliance Monitoring Office in Boracay will be established to ensure that tourism establishments are operating according to the standards set for the purpose of making the island “more competitive in the domestic and international markets.”
Teo also ordered the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Authority, DOT’s infrastructure arm, to oversee the swift completion of the P716-million drainage project to address flooding in Boracay.
“We hope that cleanup efforts will resonate with private stakeholders even in other tourist destinations. Let us not compromise the environment for economic gain,” said Teo.
Friday last week, President Duterte threatened to shut down the Boracay.”
“I will close Boracay. (It) is a cesspool. Time will come when no foreigner will go there because he will have…when he goes back to the plane to where he belongs…he will be full of s*** going back and forth to the restroom,” said Duterte.
On Jan. 9, Teo and Cimatu conducted an ocular inspection of Boracay. The Tourism chief is hopeful that with the cooperation of all concerned, including business establishments and residents, Boracay will remain a major employer and income generator.
“Successful tourism is a shared responsibility,” said Teo. (With reports from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
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