All that is necessary for evil to succeed is that good men do nothing.” ― Edmund Burke
TOMORROW, April 26, Boracay officially shuts its doors down for a much needed cleanup and rehabilitation.
There are no exemptions. There are no good bizmen or good local officials. They’re all guilty and they all played a part in the abuse and destruction of Boracay’s fragile environment.
All of them were motivated by greed and profit but suddenly they’re all environmentalists and socialists concerned with Boracay’s environment and the welfare of the workers at the first sight of President Duterte closing down the island. Really, who are they fooling?
Since then, till President Duterte called Boracay a cesspool and ordered a shutdown, nobody stood up and said anything about the creeping degradation of Boracay’s fragile environment except for the “Friends of the Flying Foxes Boracay.”
This small nongovernment organization (NGO) has been telling the world that the “urbanization and development” of the island is destroying the natural habitat (forest cover) of the fruit bats in particular and Boracay’s natural environment.
Of course to no avail. While they were all busy making profit, this small NGO was shouting to high heavens to, at the very least, save the forest cover of Boracay.
Now that President Duterte ordered the island closed for six months to clean it up and rehabilitate, anybody who thinks he/she is a somebody wants to cash it. And what better way to get the world’s attention than to present yourself as an advocate fighting the “evil dictator” Duterte or as someone who is concerned with the few good bizmen in Boracay?
Here are excerpts from the April 21 issue of Panay News:
WHY PUNISH GOOD BIZMEN?
While there are violators, there are also a lot of businesses in Boracay Island faithfully observing environmental laws so why punish them, asked Iloilo Economic Development Foundation, Inc. (ILED) chairperson Narzalina Lim.
While the world-famous island resort indeed needs rehabilitation, Lim said if she were the Tourism secretary said she would not recommend its total closure.
The rehabilitation could be done in phases so as not to “shock” local tourism businesses and people, she said.
“You should also consider the people whose lives depend on the tourism industry. There are thousands of them,” said Lim, the first woman secretary of the Department of Tourism during the administrations of presidents Corazon Aquino and Fidel Ramos.
President Rodrigo Duterte approved Boracay’s six-month closure beginning April 26 to address the island’s degradation due to the poor implementation of environmental regulations, encroachment of structures and influx of people and businesses beyond Boracay’s carrying capacity.
But why punish law-abiding businesses, Lim asked.
A total shutdown would be “too drastic,” she said.
“If I were the Tourism secretary, I would have recommended to the President, if he would listen, to demolish all the illegal structures first and publish a list of noncompliant resorts so there are no transactions made (with them),” said Lim.
The total closure would have adverse impacts to Panay Island because many of its provinces supply food to Boracay warned Lim.
“The whole value chain is affected – the buses, tour guide services, poultry raisers, among others. Products from the provinces being supplied to Boracay must find new markets,” she said.
Lim recalled that in 1988 when she was an undersecretary for policy and planning of the Department of Tourism, a master plan for Boracay was crafted.
“I agree that there are rampant violations (of environmental laws). The master plan during my time and succeeding master plans were, however, never implemented,” she said.
Moi has been a frequent visitor to the island since the late ‘80s and by the early ‘90s there were already talks about sewage waters being discharged into the sea. This was also the time when the green algae now synonymous with Boracay started to become an increasing occurrence.
And the Tourism Secretary during that time when the environmental issue was just starting was of course, yes, you guess it right, Narzalina Lim. She was the DOT secretary serving two presidents and that’s 12 years!
During the time she was the Tourism secretary she could have nipped the environmental issue in the bud and she had 12 years to do it.
Of course, she did not do anything, otherwise we won’t have this problem now and Boracay would probably not be closed down tomorrow.
Now she’s an expert on how to handle “Le Affair Boracay”? Lady, you’ve had your time and you basically failed!
Take note people, this was before that nincompoop Noynoy Aquino’s watch, in all probability the highest public official responsible for making Boracay a cesspool.
Former DOT secretary Narzalina Lim is in the same level as those so-called leftists and pseudo-communists who suddenly appeared in Caticlan hoping to stage rallies and cash in on “Le Affair Boracay.” Unfortunately for them and fortunately for the people of Boracay, nobody’s buying.
At the height of “Le Affair Jed Mabilog”, as chairperson of the Iloilo Economic Development Foundation, she was trying to paint “I Am Iloilo City” into the image of now dismissed mayor Jed Mabilog and rally the natives to his support, fortunately nobody bought it.
Here’s a suggestion; how about fighting for the mangroves along Iloilo River instead? (brotherlouie16@gmail.com/PN)
