The implementation of an action plan to address Boracay’s garbage woes is on track, according to the National Solid Waste Commission (NSWMC).
Eligio Ildefonso, executive secretary of the NSWMC secretariat, told the BusinessMirror that garbage produced on the island is continuously being shipped out on a daily basis since April, and tha,t so far, the plan is working.
In a related development, Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu said water quality in Boracay has greatly improved, and that the sea surrounding the island paradise can no longer be called a “cesspool.”
At the sidelines of the 31st anniversary celebration of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) at the Amphitheater inside the Ninoy Aquino Park and Wildlife Rescue Center in Quezon City on Wednesday, Cimatu said the rehabilitation of the country’s top tourist destination in the Municipality of Malay, Aklan, is “on target.”
“We are clearing the road of obstruction, and as far as water, we are on target,” he said.
“I am very definite that the White Beach is already clean. I have the graph of all daily and weekly monitoring reports. It [bacterial level] is low and steady, and I can claim now that it is already clean. You can see the pictures, and it is clean,” the DENR chief said.
No more waste
“By the time Boracay is reopened, the solid-waste management problem is solved,” according to Ildefonso.
The local government of Malay, Aklan, he added, had agreed to fund the implementation of the action plan for garbage, including the tipping fee to ship out the garbage out of the island to the town’s materials recovery facility (MRF).
Meanwhile, Ildefonso said the Task Force Boracay is preparing to file charges against the officials of the national government agencies who are responsible for the degradation of the country’s top tourist destination.
“Charges will be filed against other government officials and employees. From the DENR and maybe from the DOT [Department of Tourism],” Ildefonso said.
Officials of the Malay-LGU have already been charged before the Ombudsman for dereliction of duty in the implementation of various environmental laws, including Republic Act 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.
As part of the plan, the MRF in Barangay Manoc-Manoc which is now functioning as a mere garbage-transfer station will be revived to be a fully functional MRF where 3Rs—reduce, reuse and recycle—will be implemented.
However, he said if the MRF works in Barangay Manoc-Manoc, the two MRFs in Barangays Yapak and Balabag would also be revived.
Info drive
Under RA 9003, there should be an MRF for every barangay. However, he said there are instances when two small barangays that produce garbage in smaller volumes can jointly use one MRF.
In the case of Boracay, this is not advisable, Ildefonso said, considering that the island is producing 100 tons of garbage every day.
The reason why garbage accumulated, he said, is the fact that only 30 tons of garbage are shipped out daily.
As part of the plan, the Malay local government, DOT, DENR, and local government will fully implement RA 9003, and conduct massive information, education and communication campaign that will include arriving tourists about various environmental laws, including RA 9003 and the Clean Water Act of 2004, he said.
“There will be an awareness campaign. Before they are allowed to go to Boracay, tourists will be informed about the law against littering. This will also be conducted for residents of Boracay,” Ildefonso said.