Malay LGU violates Boracay easement

The municipal government of Malay, Aklan is not halting the construction of its P4.98-million information center on the beach of Boracay despite criticism that the structure is within the 30-meter shoreline easement or no-build zone.

The center – expected to be completed in May – will have a toilet for tourists and residents.

“I admit that the toilet is on the beach line area. If we will not push through its construction, we do not know where we will be placing our information and assistance center and the toilet,” said Malay Executive Assistant Rowen Aguirre.

Construction started last year yet. The project has drawn flak from environmentalists.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has started a crackdown on violators of environmental laws in Boracay after President Rodrigo Duterte called it a “cesspool” early this month.

Fueling Boracay environment’s degradation over the years were runaway development, the influx of people beyond the island’s carrying capacity, poor implementation of environmental regulations, and encroachment of structures, according to DENR secretary Roy Cimatu.

DENR Region 6 director Jim Sampulna said his office would be strictly imposing the 30-meter easement between the shoreline and establishments on the beachfront of Boracay.

“They are not allowed to have their establishments within the 30 meters easement from the highest tide,” said Sampulna.

Cimatu deployed a “mission team” to address the environmental woes in the world-famous island.

The team is composed of 50 personnel from six DENR regional offices.

“Their mission is to rehabilitate and restore Boracay into a paradise again. We are given six months by the President,” said Cimatu.

Boracay has been divided into six areas. Each of the six DENR regional offices is assigned an area to work on.

In Malacañang yesterday, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said, “The directive of the President is to remind the LGUs that it is their obligation to safeguard the environment.”

Duterte had warned that LGUs concerned may face “criminal liability” for their failure to address environmental issues in Boracay.

Boracay is under the jurisdiction of Malay and concomitantly the provincial government of Aklan.

The President “was emphatic in a Cabinet meeting to remind the LGUs they will incur criminal liability for malfeasance and misfeasance for their failure to protect the natural environment in Boracay,” said Roque.

But he also clarified that Duterte will be waiting for Cimatu’s recommendation.

Cimatu was given 60 days to “come up with recommendations on what to do with Boracay,” said Roque.

Duterte threatened to close down Boracay, the country’s top beach destination, if environmental problems there would remain unsolved.

Citing DENR’s initial findings, Cimatu said 716 of Boracay’s 834 wastewater-discharging establishments do not have discharge permits.

Such establishments are presumed to be illegally discharging wastewater into the sea, he said.

DENR also reported already serving 51 notices of violation to establishments found polluting Boracay.

Such establishments must address respective environmental violations within the specified period or face corresponding DENR charges if they fail to do so, according to the Pollution Adjudication Board (PAB).

PAB has assumed the functions of the defunct National Pollution Control Commission as to the adjudication of pollution cases.

DENR staff banned from seeking perks in Boracay

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has reiterated its policy of prohibiting asking for food, accommodation or money while in this resort island as they undergo massive crackdown.

DENR Regional Director for Western Visayas Jimmy Sampulna said they received reports several resort owners here reported receiving phone calls identifying themselves to be a personnel of the DENR.

More than 120 DENR personnel coming from different regions are now in Boracay undertaking crackdown as recently ordered by President Duterte.

“For those who have already received phone calls we are already investigating this incident. I call onto all the Boracay stakeholders to be vigilant and report to us if there are any DENR employees who are soliciting money, food nor free accommodation,” he said.

One of the resort owners who received a phone call was able to record the conversation. It submitted the copy to the DENR and the Philippine National Police.

Boracay resort viewing deck demolished

Owner Crisostomo “Cris” Aquino said the destruction of the viewing deck of his popular West Cove resort yesterday marked the start of the gradual restoration of this famed beach destination.

Armed with jackhammers, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) personnel took down the resort’s illegal structures built on rock formations in Sitio Diniwid, Barangay Balabag.

Some resort staffers helped in the demolition, which started a day after DENR secretary Roy Cimatu reviewed West Cove’s Forest Land Use Agreement for Tourism Purposes (FLAgT).

FLAgT is a contract between the DENR and a natural or juridical person authorizing the latter to occupy, manage and develop, subject to government share, any forest land for tourism purposes.

The DENR had granted West Cove a FLAgT covering a 998-square meter forest land in the island but this has been cancelled. Aquino said an appeal was pending with the Office of the President.

“He (Aquino) claimed nag-apply siya na gamitin ito. Pero in the process, na-destroy iyong natural resource, itong mga kahoy, iyong rock formation na natural resource dito,” Cimatu said. “Nabanggit ko kay Cris that this has to be demolished.”

West Cove manager Ben Mobo insisted that the viewing deck did not harm marine life in the area, citing an underwater assessment conducted by biologists Maria Eden Jaranilla and Jan Felix Balquin.

Resort management pegged the cost of the demolished structures to be between P1.5 million and P2 million.

Despite this, “I am thanking President Rodrigo Duterte for ordering a crackdown on all erring resorts in Boracay,” Aquino said.

He added, “[Cimatu] told me that, since we are considered the mother of all violators in Boracay, I should lead the restoration soon. I immediately agreed even without proper court orders. We are now the mother of those compliant [businesses] in Boracay.”

Aquino urged other resorts in the island to “do the same.”

Some 300 more resorts in Boracay’s beachfront are expected to be demolished soon, the DENR said. The Department of Public Works and Highways will assist in the demolition.

‘BORACAY BEACHES ARE CLEAN’

Earlier Aquino filmed himself gargling ocean water from West Cove to prove that beaches in Boracay are safe for swimming.

Last Wednesday he claimed that parts of the island – including Ilig-Iligan and Balinghay beaches – are clean despite fecal coliform levels and algae formation since 2015.

Aquino also challenged Executive Assistant to the Mayor Rowen Aguirre to gargle water from the Bulabog Beach.

“Mumugin ko iyong tubig dito sa harap ko. Mumugin niyo din diyan sa Bulabog,” Aquino said.

Aguirre accused West Cove of violating water sanitation codes.

“Nag-build siya (Aquino) sa isang no-build zone. Pangalawa, nagpatayo siya ng walang kaukulang permits – building permit, business permit, occupancy permit,” Aguirre said.

Let Boracay heal, says Aklanon scientist

atural healing is the best way for Boracay Island to recover from environmental damage, according to an Aklanon scientist.

Allowing a phenomenon called natural attenuation will mitigate any damage the island is suffering from, said Raymond Sucgang.

Sucgang currently works as a senior science research specialist at the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute of the Department of Science and Technology.

A native of Batan town, he has studied the environment of the world-famous island resort.

“Natural attenuation is the process wherein the environment heals itself,” he said – much like the human body that can heal itself whenever its systems get compromised.

But Sucgang warned that “if the body’s health is severely compromised, healing can take a very long time – or may not happen at all. The same can be said of a contaminated environment.”

The United States’ Environmental Protection Agency defines natural attenuation as “a variety of physical, chemical or biological processes that, under favorable conditions, act without human intervention to reduce the mass, toxicity, mobility, volume, or concentration of contaminants in soil or groundwater.”

Sucgang believes Boracay may still “heal” on its own. “Unfortunately most of our decision-makers are unaware of this,” he said.

He added: “At least three things must be considered: the status quo of the system – major consideration is nutrient loading – the carrying capacity of the system, and the tipping point.

“If pollution has reached the tipping point, serious damage already occurred, and there is no way for the system to recover.”

Sucgang has previously recommended letting Boracay “rest.” Activities such as fire-dancing, helmet diving and sandcastle-making must be strictly regulated, if not prohibited, too, he said./

Aklan solon wants Boracay ‘intact,’ ready for federalism

Rep. Carlito Marquez of the Lone District of Aklan  is calling on his constituents and all stakeholders to protect Boracay Island at all costs, as the country is in the process of introducing a new form of government, federalism.

Marquez said federalism would surely improve poverty-alleviation programs once it is implemented.

“Currently, the billions worth of pesos in revenue generated in Boracay Island directly go to the national coffers. The province received only less than 10 percent of its share. On federalism, Aklan may receive higher at about 40 percent to 60 percent, which should be a big amount,” Marquez said.

Earlier, the Congress agreed to expedite the constituent assembly to discuss the content of the planned federalism state.

Marquez said that, currently, the Congress has reduced to five areas —Luzon, the Visayas, Mindanao, Metro Manila and the Autunomous Region of Muslim in Mindanao—the different regions in the country.

“It will, however, still depend on the discussions where federalism may lead into,” he said.

Boracay Island, considered one of the best beaches in the world, is facing several problems, such as flooding, environmental degradation and garbage proliferation, among others.

Par 2: Government addresses major problems in Boracay

Despite the huge contribution that Boracay tourism flows into the national coffers, Malacañang has said the national government has no plans to directly manage the affairs of the resort island.

In a recent news conference in nearby Kalibo, Aklan, Presidential Spokesman Harry L. Roque Jr. said the Duterte administration is respecting the process the local government unit undertakes to address issues and concerns clutching the resort island.

“Despite the planned issuance of an EO [Executive Order] of Malacañang, it certainly will not interfere with the affairs of the local government unit,” Roque has said.

Malacañang may still issue the EO not earlier than March, as the next scheduled Cabinet meeting will be on February 25. That meeting will deliberate the content of the EO, persons familiar with the matter said.

Still, with or without the EO, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has said it expects difficulties in addressing complex issues of the resort island.

Already, managers of several large resorts here became upset on reports alleging their respective business is violating environmental laws.

Among the alleged violators included the Shangri-La Boracay Resort and Spa, Mövenpick Resort and Spa, Crown Regency Resort, Asya Premier Suites, Nami Private Villas, Alta Vista de Boracay and the Boracay West Cove Resort, among others. The list was reportedly drawn by the Boracay Island Water Corp., a member of the Ayala Group of Cos.

3Private treatment

ACCORDING to West Cove General Manager Ben Mobo, managers of the resorts mentioned “are talking to one another why our names have to be listed as probable violators.”

“In the first place, we did not receive any notice of violation. Second, we are wary of the plans that we are supposed to connect with the drainage system,” Mobo said. “But the problem is the drainage system [has not reached our network] yet. So how could we connect [with the drainage system]?”

The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority announced that it would complete the construction of the drainage system in Boracay by the year 2020.

With the absence of the drainage system, each of the resort mentioned have their respective Sewage Treatment Plant (STP), which follows international standards, according to Mobo.

“What is difficult nowadays is that the submission of data as required by the government can be slow due to poor Internet [connection] and that government web sites are often down,” Mobo added. “We have to wait for few more days to see if government web sites are running again.”

2Increasing fees

TO finance the environmental project of the local government of Malay, which has jurisdiction over Boracay Island, the municipal council members are currently proposing to increase the environmental fee imposed on visitors.

Currently, the local government charges tourists coming in and out of Boracay P75 each. The local government of Malay plans to raise it to P100.

Aside from the environmental fee, tourists are also being charged for another P100 each for terminal fees.

Boracay Foundation Inc. President Nenette A. Graf said there is a need to increase fees as tourists coming in are also bringing with them environmental problems. Each tourist coming in contributes to the piling of garbage and human waste, said Graf, who also serves as chairman of the local council’s committee on environment.

Data from the Aklan Provincial Tourism Office showed that from January to October 2017, the island welcomed a total of 1,669,751 tourists. The resort island has seen an additional 203,005 arrivals compared to the previous year’s figure during the same period of 1,466,796.

The proposal to increase environmental fee has already gained support among several members of the local council, she added.

1Island discovery

BORACAY Island almost gained instant fortune and positive publicity when several European backpackers discovered this resort island in the 1970s.

According to local residents, Boracay came from the combination of the native words “Bora,” which means bubbles, and ‘Bocay,” which means white.

The popularity of the resort island heightened when German writer Jens Peter published a travel book, wherein he described Boracay as the most beautiful island in Asia.

Since then, tourism started to grow.

In the 1990s part of the beach of Boracay was reportedly infected by coliform. It was the first issue that raised national concern.

Businesses then was afraid that the tourism industry may be largely affected had it not been immediately prevented. Since then, Boracay stakeholders tried to manage the issues concerning the tourism industry of this resort island.

However, the local government failed to control the mushrooming of commercial establishments in Boracay. Other problems started popping one after the other, pitting the national government and private stakeholders against another on how these concerns should be addressed.

In 2008 a Supreme Court decision shocked many stakeholders: it placed Boracay as part of the public domain and that its private landowners could not get titles to their properties. The decision of the High Tribunal further added to the already-pile high problems of this resort island.

Aside from the drainage and congestion concerns, other threats Boracay face include the possible dislocation of the indigenous people due to unbridled land development, coral bleaching, land grabbing and the possible peace and order issues that would come with this, and lack of police enforcers.

Fuel-efficient Duterte trimaran boat in the works, DOST says

The Department of Science and Technology (DOST) has given the go signal to start the assembly and construction of the  first trimaran vessel in the country to be fueled by a mix of gas and sea water.

Science Secretary Fortunato  T. de la Peña, who came to visit the project site this week, said that he considers the project a part of the three topmost priority to be undertaken by the department this year. The two others include the space program and artificial intelligence.

The DOST has pledged some P76 million to fund the trimaran project, which will be implemented with the collaboration of other agencies, such as the Aklan State University (ASU), Maritime Industry Authority, Philippine Council for Industry, Energy and Emerging Technology Research and Development, Metallica Consultancy and the Aklan Congressional Office.

“This project is responding to the call of the Duterte administration, which is economic empowerment to the different regions. I am committing the entire force of the different DOST agencies if needed,” de la Peña said in an interview.

It was learned that while de la Peña was discussing the details of the project implementation, the DOST Central Office in Manila had already deposited an initial P43 million to the bank account of the ASU as manifestation that the project will start.

Engr. Jonathan Salvador of the Metallica Consultancy, who conceptualized the project, said that he would finish the project as early as a year and a half. He dubbed the project as the dual stroke cylinder pumps with 30 units working, or simply Duterte.

“The first phase would be the construction of the vessel, while the second phase is the creation of the needed technology for the vessel to be able to operate using ocean energy,” he said.

The vessel is being envisioned to be a combined passenger and cargo vessel similar to that, but smaller than a Roro (roll- on, roll-off) ship.

Gas combustion would still power the trimaran during port maneuvering, but the so-called ocean wave energy would propel the vessel when it sails in open water.

“In my estimate, the vessel could conserve at least 20 percent of the overall regular consumption of gas. I see this project as a feasible because the Philippines is an archipelagic country,” Salvador said, assuring the boat project is both environment friendly and cost-efficient.

“I am also planning to use Euro 4 or Euro 5 technology for the project,” he added. Salvador worked as chief engineer for several shipping companies in Europe, and has been into local shipbuilding.

Salvador, likewise, bared future plans to build smaller boats for fishermen.