THE Department of Tourism (DOT) is considering rejecting or not renewing the applications for accreditation by resorts on Boracay Island while they are being investigated for possible environmental, easement and building violations.
This was confirmed to the BusinessMirror by Tourism Undersecretary for Public Affairs Katherine de Castro, even as President Duterte rejected a proposed executive order (EO) to strengthen the membership of the interagency task force overseeing the development of the resort-island, and giving the group the power to bring administrative sanctions on any government member that fails to address Boracay’s many concerns.
“According to Secretary Teo, that’s a big possibility,” de Castro said, referring to the DOT’s move to hold accreditations of resorts in Boracay in abeyance, while these are being evaluated for various violations. The proposed EO, prepared by the DOT and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), was presented to President Duterte for signature on February 5.
Speaking with reporters, de Castro said, “The President said he would review the executive order…. They will study it. But they said the problem with an EO is that, there are just too many steps to do, the process would be too slow.”
Instead, Duterte gave the DENR and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) six months to address the problems of Boracay Island, popular over the world for its powdery white-sand beach.
De Castro explained that Duterte instead “wants immediate action…. Basically he wants the environmental laws to be implemented right away. He’s giving a six-month deadline to the DENR and DILG to fix the problems of Boracay, i.e. going after the establishments who violated the laws and, at the same time, run after those officials and other individuals who issued permits to establishments, which they knew from the start, were already violating some laws.”
She said the DOT submitted a list of 200 establishments operating in Boracay, which were found to have various offenses. Some have violated the easement law, where 30 meters between the shore to the inland should be a no-build zone. “For another, there are those who have illegally tapped the rainwater drainage pipes of Tieza [Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority] and connected their sewage pipe,” she added.
“For others, they were found not to be connected to the sewage pipes, so their untreated water and sewage are being dumped directly into the sea or the roads,” she said.
Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said he will take the lead role in the task force that will rid Boracay of problems threatening the sustainability of the country’s top tourism destination.
Cimatu told reporters that President Duterte has already approved in principle the draft EO prepared by the DOT on the Task Force Boracay. “It was the DOT that recommended the creation of the task force and it named the DENR as head of the task force. I accepted the challenge and the President already gave instructions to me,” Cimatu said.
The task force, Cimatu added, was given six months to address the issues that for weeks had put Boracay in a bad light.
Under the EO, the task force will be led by the DENR.
Since there is already a Task Force Boracay created before the DOT recommendation, Cimatu said they will follow its organizational structure for the initial composition. But there will be an assessment to determine if expanding the Task Force Boracay will be needed to involve other government agencies.
He said the task force will look into the various environmental issues besetting Boracay, especially the compliance with environmental regulations of resorts and homeowners on the island.
Some of the issues and concerns were raised by tourists and residents themselves, Cimatu added.
“The environmental compliance of resorts will be tackled. The people there, some tourists, they tell about the sad plight of tourists, and the water in the beaches. Second, the wastewater is not channeled to proper waste-treatment facility. Then the garbage,” he said.
He noted that there are buildings constructed very near the beach, when the distance of the nearest building or structure should be 25 meters from the shore. “We receive complaints that some structures are closer to the shores.”
“Likewise, there are some structures that were built inside forest reservations and timberlands. This is not allowed by law,” he said. Nevertheless, Cimatu acknowledged that the resort and hotel owners can apply for forest-land agreements for tourism use.
“The President wants us to do something about these problems and come up with a report after six months,” he said.
Cimatu will meet with DILG and Local Government officials on Wednesday.
Initial investigations, he added, have been conducted jointly by the DOT and DENR even before the proposed EO.
“We have conducted inventories and checked the violations. We conducted house-to-house and resort-to-resort [inspection]. We will be very serious in implementing the instruction of the President. We will be serious in enforcing the law,” Cimatu said.
With Jonathan L. Mayuga
1 comment
Ilublub sa pozo negro ang matitigas ang ulo.Pati residential dapat na malapit sa beach tingnan din.6 montsh ang tagal naman ng report kahit 2 linggo pwede na maglabas ng prelimiary report.