IT IS FERVENTLY hoped that Congress would hasten the passage of a law creating the Boracay Island Development Authority (BIDA) as proposed by the President in his State of the Nation Address on Monday to sustain the gains from the top tourist destination’s rehabilitation. BIDA would be overseeing Boracay’s development.
For decades, the main problem in Boracay Island was the weak enforcement of and non-compliance in the country’s environmental laws. If we simply comply with environmental laws, especially the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and the Ecological Solid Waste Management (ESWM) Law, we would not have to close Boracay for six months in 2018 and conduct a massive rehabilitation that up to now is not yet finished.
This is not just an issue to point to the local government and other government agencies. We are all in this together. The problem in Boracay is also the problem of many eco-tourism areas and other communities, which is why the government must strictly enforce environmental laws, while residents and business establishments should also comply with our laws. BIDA could do this in Boracay.
Prior to Boracay’s rehabilitation, the island did not have proper sewerage and septage systems. Around 17.5 million liters of wastewater was generated every day but only about half was treated properly; the other half was discharged untreated. This was what prompted the President to call Boracay a cesspool. About 30 to 40 percent of the untreated wastewater came from private homes, and the rest from business establishments. The strict implementation of the ESWM law will address solid waste disposal issues in the island.
BIDA would make sure government agencies concerned and the local government are enforcing our environmental and other laws in Boracay. At the same time, all the residents and tourists in the island would be held accountable for the preservation of this world-famous resort.E
