The environmental problems on Boracay Island could be traced primarily to weak governance. The necessary laws and policies seem to be in place, but the local and national government offices have long been coming short in implementing them.
This was the synthesis made by Academician Eufemio T. Rasco Jr., chairman of National Academy of Science and Technology Philippines (NAST PHL) Agricultural Sciences Division, at the recent “Policy forum on rehabilitation of Boracay Island and management of coastal environment problems/concerns” at a hotel on Roxas Boulevard in Pasay City.
“Governance should be given importance, because the local government has a big role in the short- and long-term rehabilitation of the island,” Rasco was quoted in the summary of the policy forum released to the media by the Department of Science and Technology and NAST PHL.
The policy forum was held to assist in the determination of appropriate rehabilitation road map on the current conditions and needs of Boracay Island Coastal Environment and help in the efforts for its sustainable development and resiliency.
President Duterte has said that the world-renowned island resort has turned into a “cesspool” and ordered is closure for six months since April 26.
Academician William G. Padolina led the policy forum, where he highlighted the need to understand the status of the island that necessitated its temporary closure for rehabilitation. The forum participants were from NAST, various government agencies, research institutions and speakers who have done work on Boracay.
Academician Rhodora V. Azanza, chairman of NAST PHL Biological Sciences Division, emphasized that the forum also aims to elucidate the science behind the temporary closure of Boracay Island.
Short- and long-term solutions
Rasco gave short-term and long-term solutions to the Boracay problem. He said for the short-term rehabilitation, during the six-month closure, the sewage-treatment facilities should be targeted to improve the quality of ground and coastal water and, thus, help in the conservation of its marine ecosystem.
The policy-forum participants agreed that short- and long-term strategic activities should include, among others, “the strict implementation of laws and regulations, continuous monitoring and capacity building of the community.”
They said that major long-term concerns include habitat degradation/conservation of coral reefs and maintenance of good water quality and good governance.
“In order to level expectations, there is a need to define what needs to be done within the six-month period, aside from improving the sewage system, the elimination of illegal coastal structures and road building,” the summary document said.
The latest technology for sewage handling and wastewater treatment must be adopted in order not to aggravate the environmental problems, it added.
It also said that the carrying capacity of the island must be updated using present conditions in order to regulate effectively the number of persons and the timing and extent of the activities on the island. Then-Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo said the number of Boracay visitors has gone up to 75,000, which is way above its earlier declared carrying capacity of 25,000.
Coral-reef ecosystem
Academician Guillermo Q. Tabios III of the NAST PHL Engineering Sciences and Technology Division talked about “Boracay Island: State of Land Resources and Land-Sea-Human Interactions.”
Citing previous and recent work of marine scientists, he emphasized that coral-reef ecosystem contributes not only as one of the important tourism resources but also to white-beach preservation by providing sediment supply and protection from the rough waves.
E. coli, coliform
Academician Virginia C. Cuevas of the NAST PHL Biological Sciences Division discussed the state of water quality and microbiology of coastal waters in Boracay Island, citing a study conducted in 2012.
The parameters that were analyzed are the following: nitrogen (nitrate), phosphorus (orthophosphate), pH, biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), dissolved oxygen (DO), total suspended solids (TSS), water temperature, E. coli and total coliform count.
It was reported that Mangrove Swamp 6 was slightly higher in pH and much higher BOD than Mangrove Swamp 1, Puka Beach and Long Beach.
Cuevas said Lugotan Cove had the highest E. coli and total coliform populations, while the rest of the sites had the same levels.
Good water quality was recorded in the coastal areas where commercial establishments are connected to the sewage system.
For policy considerations, Cuevas recommended establishing a state-of-the-art wastewater-treatment facility at the outfall of drainage canals from informal settlers, wet market, parlors, shops and other establishments before discharging into the coastal water.
She emphasized the need to monitor the neighboring islands for wastewater from houses, commercial establishments and sewage effluent disposal.
Coastal erosion
Dr. Ma. Lourdes San Diego-Mcglone identified several environmental issues in Boracay Island, such as coastal erosion, improper coastal infrastructure development, high rate of population increase, water-quality degradation, green tides, loss of coastal habitats and lack of the local government’s knowledge on how to address the issues.
One of their research team findings that Mcglone presented was the island’s benthic cover, which showed that in a span of 23 years, coral cover decreased by 70 percent from 1988 to 2011.
The most significant decrease occurred from 2008 to 2011 when tourist arrivals increased by 38.4 percent. Prior to this occurrence, a dramatic increase in sand and coral rubbles were also reported in Southwest Boracay from 2003 to 2006, Mcglone, professor at the University of the Philippines Marine Science Institute, said.
On the erosion of white beach, McGlone said the deterioration of the reef ecosystem in front of the beach leads to erosion due to reduction of reef’s function as natural breakwater and supplier of white-sand/beach sediments.
She said the deterioration is caused by water-quality degradation and direct impacts of marine leisure activities, such as anchoring, diving and snorkeling, to name a few. She also cited improper construction of sea walls, restaurants and hotels on the backshore as secondary cause of erosion in the island and gave suggestions on how the management of the coastal environment could help preserve the white sand and other natural features of Boracay.
Reef condition
Dr. Vincent V. Hilomen, project manager of Smart SEA Project of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), explained that based on the reef condition from the live coral cover obtained from scuba diving in 2013, Balusbos and Motag are under poor condition, while Balinghai marine protected area, Friday’s Rock MPA, Lobster Rock and Caticlan are in fair condition.
On the other hand, Coral Garden MPA is in good condition and the only excellent area out of the eighth sites surveyed in Boracay is Angol Point.
In terms of the situation of the reef fishes, Hilomen said, none of the areas show very high fish biomass (40 MT/km2 and above). Balusbos and Motag show very low fish biomass (>10 MT/km2), while Balinghai, Coral Garden and Caticlan are under the medium range (>20 MT/km2).
On the other hand, Fridays, Lobster and Angol Point are reported to be in high category (>30 MT/km2).
Hilomen noted the “importance of wetland ecosystems that serve as water-catchment basins during rainy season. These prevent flooding and allow slow release of filtered water to the sea.”
He suggested rehabilitating habitats, harnessing locals for conservation activities, educating tourists and residents, and imposing a policy of “no collection” of shells and other materials on the island.
Microbial pathogens
According to Dr. Franklin C. Diza, chief of the Environmental Health Office in Department of Health, human feces is the most common source of microbial pathogens. Germs are passed on from an infected person to a new host through contaminated food, fingers, fluids, fields, and flies.
Diza said solid waste and wastewater sanitation systems are the primary barriers that break the transmission route of pathogens, specially the effective process of confining and treating feces.
“There is a need to conduct risk assessment and management on the island, as well as drinking-water quality surveillance and testing,” he proposed.
Sanitation and capacity building, including advocacy and promotion campaign, need logistical support to ensure the safety of the population against water contamination and water-borne diseases.
Local government’s role
Atty. Ana Mae P. Pedregosa of the Department of Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) Legal and Legislative Liaison Service and member of the secretariat of Boracay Investigating Team (BIT) said the creation of the BIT aims to exercise the DILG’s supervisory power over local government units on environmental problems in Boracay. It also aims to establish the possible accountability of the local government and national government officials.
She said that on the DILG’s part, they would strengthen the monitoring performance and evaluation on the local government units to ensure that the Boracay crisis does not happen again.
Crisis situation
Academician Jaime C. Montoya said that everything that was discussed would be dependent on how people come up with a common objective.
“There is a huge possibility that what happened to Boracay can happen to any of the islands in the country, so this must be viewed as crisis situation and should be addressed by appropriate agencies working together under a common mandate and leadership,” the chairman of the NAST PHL Health Sciences Division and executive director of the Philippine Council for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology said.
Image credits: AP/Aaron Favila