Marine expert urges local government to go slow on Boracay demolition

A marine expert coming from the Coastal Ecosystems Conservation and Adaptive Management (CECAM) urged the local government of Malay, Aklan to go slow with the ongoing series of demolitions of illegal structures in this resort island.

Dr. Miguel Fortes, project manager of CECAM, said that the series of demolitions may have an effect in the environment of Boracay in the long run.

It was learned that debris gathered by the local government from the demolitions were dumped at the beach front and washed out into the sea during high tide.

Several tourists also reported having been injured by debris.

"Among the possible effects to Boracay of the ongoing demolition is the discoloration of the pristine white sand beach of Boracay. We also recommend that the local government should just dump the debris in one location," Fortes said.

The local government of Malay has promised to study the proposal of Fortes.