New Boracay Travel Guide targets China, South Korea

The Boracay Foundation Inc. (BFI) is currently finalizing the third version of the Boracay Travel Guide for 2017.

Raffy Cooper, marketing officer of the BFI, said the travel guide is the contribution of the Boracay business community to the flourishing tourism industry of this resort island.

The first version in 2015 was widely circulated in an international travel mart in Europe. The second version in 2016, on the other hand, was circulated in Australia.

“For the third version, we are planning to circulate this, especially in China and in South Korea,” he said.

Both the China and South Korea markets are the top 2 sources of foreign tourists who visited Boracay since the 1990s.

“In our previous promotional ventures in Australia and Europe, we learned that many potential tourists in there are not yet aware of Boracay Island. There are still huge potentials for Boracay in terms of foreign tourist arrivals. We wanted to lure more tourists through our travel guide book,” Cooper said.

In 2016 around 1.7 million tourists visited Boracay. Almost half of them are foreign visitors.

“We also wanted to target in our future promotional ventures the United States. It is still being untapped in terms of promotional efforts for Boracay. Our problem for now is that America seems not keen on holding international conferences on tourism,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism-Boracay is eyeing strict accreditation of tourism-related establishments both in Kalibo town and in this resort island.

Kristoffer Leo Vellete, acting officer of the DOT-Boracay, said he is currently in talks with the councilors of both Malay and Kalibo towns to enact their respective ordinance.

“We are telling local legislators of Kalibo and Malay that our model for this ordinance was that of Bohol. We all know that Bohol has been targeted by terrorism. However, their tourism industry immediately bounced back because tourists know that Bohol follows national standards in tourism,” he said.

However, he clarified that the implementation of the tourism accreditation law once enacted would still give leeway to tourism-related establishments.

“Upon enactment of the municipal ordinance, the business establishments would be given one year to avail themselves of accreditation. If they still fail to do so, the local government has the power not to renew their licenses unless they comply,” he said.

He added that the tourism lure of Boracay could be enhanced once the stakeholders are all accredited by the DOT.

Legarda Wants Boracay to be Model for Eco Solid Waste Mgmt, Renews Call for Stronger Law Implementation

Senator Loren Legarda today urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to make Boracay Island in Aklan province a model for ecological solid waste management (ESWM) and renewed her call for stronger implementation of Republic Act 9003.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, made the statement during the hearing for the proposed 2018 budget of the DENR after confirming with the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) that 12 commercial establishments in Boracay Island illegally used the storm drain canals to discharge wastewater.

The Senator urged the DENR to exercise utmost vigilance especially in monitoring compliance to or violation of environmental laws such as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003) and the Clean Water Act (RA 9275), even as the EMB has already plugged the pipes from the establishments leading to the storm drain canals and has issued notices of violation.

“Let us make Boracay a model green island that exercises the elements of a blue economy, respecting and protecting the water around it. Let us do the same in Puerto Galera, Pasig River, Laguna de Bay, Manila Bay, and in other areas that are tourist havens and heavily populated,” said Legarda.

She also renewed her call to ensure full compliance to RA 9003 by all local government units (LGUs) including all barangays in the country.

According to the DENR, there are still 420 LGUs with open dumpsites, which are prohibited under the ESWM Law.

“I urge the DENR to strengthen implementation of the ESWM Law and ensure that all barangays in the country are compliant. I know it is a herculean task, but if one barangay can do it, there is no reason for the 42,000 other barangays not to do it,” said Legarda.

The Senator cited several barangays and LGUs that have been successful in implementing the law, such as, Barangay Potrero in Malabon; Barangay Neogan in Tagaytay; Barangay Sicat in Alfonso, Cavite; Las Piñas City; Barangay Holy Spirit in Quezon City; Barangay Fort in Taguig City; and San Fernando City in Pampanga.

Legarda also cited a report from the Commission on Audit (COA) that the Makati City government saved P108.72 million in its 2016 environment/sanitary services expenses, or 24.35% lower than its 2015 expenses for the same category, due to intensive pro-environment programs, particularly the enforcement of the ESWM Law.

Moreover, Legarda said that the DENR, particularly the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC), should spend its budget for the implementation of ESWM Law worth P500 million in 2016 and P800 million in 2017, which will both expire by the end of the year. The budget can be used for capacity building programs and for the purchase of composters and shredders.

“We need to speed up the procurement process and the implementation of budget allocations in accordance with our laws. But I would also like to stress that, with or without the machines, all LGUs should be able to implement the law. The materials recovery facility (MRF) in communities need not be expensive. These should be made only from recycled and indigenous materials,” she explained.

“I do not have machines but I practice waste segregation in my office and in my home, and I do my own compost from food waste. I want to prove to people that even if they are not granted a machine, they can implement the law and live in a clean and healthy environment if every household is involved,” said Legarda.

Boracay to ban ‘visual pollution’

There is a move to ban “visual pollution” in Boracay.

“The town council has been deliberating this as we are receiving complaints from tourists,” said Jimmy Maming, executive assistant to Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling. The island of Boracay is part of Malay.

Tourists are being turned off by unregulated outdoor clotheslines that can be seen along Boracay’s main roads and the beachfronts.

Tourists are also annoyed by unregulated outdoor advertisements and even advocacy tarpaulins.

Aside from Boracay, the town council also eyes to implement the ban in mainland Malay.

PCCI-Aklan urges govt to bolster policies to lure investors in food, trade terminals

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) in Aklan is urging both Sen. Bam A. Aquino and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to strengthen policy measures to lure investors in engaging in both food and trade terminals.

Guidon de la Cruz, secretary of PCCI-Aklan, said he met with Aquino recently in Metro Manila to discuss the need of food terminals, especially in the province of Aklan.

“Both our food and trade supply in Boracay came from the different provinces in the country. Our local farmers could not cope with the demand since the tourism industry in Boracay requires huge volumes. Food terminals are needed so that the production of farmers could be gathered and cope with the increasing demand in Boracay,” he said.

He recommended to Aquino that the policy on food terminals could be integrated with the Go Negosyo centers of the DTI. Aquino is considered the father of GoNegosyo centers in the country.

Earlier, Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores said the province is bent on looking for possible investors for the operation of both food and trade terminals in the province.

Maricar Ituralde, chief of DTI-Aklan, said that, aside from the food, trade inputs being produced by local small and medium entrepreneurs  in the province also need to have a terminal.

“We are also currently promoting among the resorts in Boracay the use of the green products among the stakeholders in Boracay. There is a lot of potential, but we could not cope with the demand due to the absence of a terminal for trade and food,” she said.

‘Isang’ delays Miss World-Philippines Aklan flight

Plane flight schedules were delayed due to Typhoon Isang, including that of Miss World-Philippines candidates.

The 35 pageant candidates were supposed to arrive at the Godofredo P. Ramos Airport , or the Caticlan Airport, in Aklan at 2:35 p.m. from Manila.

Their flight was five hours delayed.

This was attributed to heavy rains and strong winds brought by the typhoon.

The candidates boarded the plane around 6 p.m. and landed at the Kalibo International Airport around 7:15 p.m.

The candidates will have a photo shoot, pool party and a bikini parade at the Savoy Beach Resort at Boracay Newcoast.

Juris Sucro, one of the event organizers in Boracay, said the candidates will enjoy their three-day stay in the island resort.

“They are looking forward to having memorable experience,” Sucro added./

Air-monitoring station eyed in Boracay Island

 A researcher of the Philippine Nuclear Research Institute (PNRI) is eyeing to personally establish an air-monitoring station at the world-class tourist destination of Boracay Island in Malay town, Aklan province.

Raymond Sucgang was in Boracay recently to scout for a location for his proposed project that could precisely measure the level of air pollution.

Sucgang said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Environmental Management Bureau (DENR-EMB) “still uses the total suspended particulate as an index of air quality.”

His proposed project aims is to accurately detect the level of air pollution that can cause damages to human health.

An Aklanon, Sucgang is also eyeing to establish an air-monitoring station in his hometown of Batan.

But Sucgang discovered that Batan lacked the meteorological equipment that is necessary for monitoring air pollution.

“From my talks with local officials, I learned that Batan is in dire need of rain gauges,” he noted.

DOTr allocates P6 billion to develop Kalibo Airport

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) has allocated around P6 billion for the improvement and expansion of the Kalibo International Airport (KIA).

The budget is intended to make the KIA the premier gateway of Northern Panay and neighboring areas. Among those to be funded are the construction of the new full-service terminal, construction of new apron and taxiways, among other developments.

Aklan Gov. Florencio T. Miraflores said he hopes the acquisition of the land surrounding the KIA will be fast-tracked so the massive development could commence.

“The government is already offering P600 per square meter of farm lands to the tenants. The amount is enough for them. I wonder why the affected farmers are asking as high as P5,000 per sq m for a mere farm land,” he said.

Earlier, the DOTr said around 90 percent of the overall land acquisition has been already paid.

German Baltazar, one of the affected farmers, said their group is asking for a higher amount since the government will not only take their land for airport improvement; the government is also taking away their means of livelihood.

“If ever we accept the P600-per-sq-m amount for the sale of our farmlands, how can we use the amount to survive? We are not opposing the airport development. We only want to paid fairly,” he said.

Baltazar added farmers tilling the land at the proposed KIA development has filed a case at the Ombudsman-Visayas against the chief of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (Caap)-Kalibo for its failure to craft a resettlement plan for the affected farmers.

In a document, Evangeline Nunal, officer in charge of the Ombudsman-Western Visayas, said respondent Efren Nagrama, chief of Caap-Kalibo, should answer the farmers’ allegations.

Nagrama has refused to comment on the issue.