BORACAY – Island hopping and sailboat (paraw) activities in this world-famous island will not be totally banned, according to the Environment department.
They will only be suspended for up to two weeks after the holiday island reopens to both foreign and domestic tourists come Oct. 26.
President Rodrigo Duterte ordered Boracay closed beginning April 26 for a half-year rehabilitation after he called the island a “cesspool.”
The suspension will buy the Department of Environment and Natural Resources more time to craft regulations for leisure activities and conduct a marine biodiversity assessment, explained Undersecretary Benny Antiporda.
Antiporda said this on Friday following a petition from paraw operators in Boracay seeking the intervention of the local government unit of Malay, Aklan over the proposed measure of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force.
The task force was assigned to “reverse” Boracay’s poor environmental condition. It is led by the DENR, Department of Tourism, and Department of the Interior and Local Government.
Banning water sports activities is “not supported by any rule or ordinance and was not consulted to the public,” the petition read.
Mike Sinel, president of the Malay Sailboat Operators, Inc. (MASBOI), said the ban will disadvantage their over 700 members. About 160 paraw owners will also be affected.
“Apektado din ang pamilya namin sa ganitong sitwasyon kung wala ng paraw,” he added.
According to Sinel, some tourists have complained about the sailboats blocking the island’s “sunset view” – a popular attraction that travel bloggers call the “golden hour.”
Aside from MASBOI, another group – the Boracay Island Hopping Association (BIHA) – also sought help from the Sangguniang Bayan (SB) through the same petition.
BIHA president Rigoberto Gelito said more than 1,280 of their members will be affected should the ban push through.
“Dapat bigyan natin ng proteksyon ang ating mga workers at mga taga-Boracay at Malay,” said SB member Dante Pagsuguiron. “Dapat may strong stand din ang local government sa reopening ng Boracay.”
Vice Mayor Abram Sualog agreed. “Hindi naman tama na mawala ang mga paraw…Parte ang paraw sa mga atraksyon ng Boracay noon pa man.”
Sualog said there is already a municipal ordinance that prescribes the number of sailboats allowed to dock at Boracay beaches so as not to block the “sunset view.”
Municipal Ordinance No. 189, passed on April 2, 2003, states that only two sailboats can simultaneously dock the White Beach and Stations 1, 1b, 2, 3, and 3b any time of the day.
But it exempts Station 2 from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m., when five sailboats can dock simultaneously.
“Hindi natin pababayaan ang mga kababayan natin. Big loss din sa mga operators ng paraw at bangka dahil malaki din ang kanilang investments,” stressed SB member Jupiter Aelred Gallenero.
Antiporda said the operations in Boracay will be “resumed in stages.”
“These (island hopping and sailboat activities) are tourist attractions. We cannot stop them because this is their livelihood,” Antiporda added. (Reports from Philippine News Agency and Boy Ryan Zabal of Aklan Forum Journal/PN)
