ABOUT P55.21 million in ecotourism development fees were collected by the municipal government of El Nido in 2017, up 19 percent from the P46.32 million collected in 2016.
A report by the Department of the Interior and Local Government’s (DILG) Beach Tourism Monitoring Team (BTMT), a copy of which was obtained by the BusinessMirror, showed last year’s environmental fees were collected from 144,257 tourists, or about P383 per person. From January to October 2018, the El Nido government collected some P54.6 million in environmental fees from 100,327 foreign and local tourists.
Despite the large collections, the DILG recorded numerous issues that the El Nido government had neglected, threatening the town’s long-term viability as a sustainable tourism destination. These include beach erosion, sand and water discoloration, continued grilling on boats despite a municipal ordinance banning it, as well as the rampant anchoring of motorboats all over the place.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had also determined the fecal coliform count in three barangays in El Nido to have reached 16,000 most probable number per 100 milliliter in July 2018. The acceptable standard for fecal coliform is only 1,000 MPN/100 ml. (See, “Swimming ban slapped on 2 Panglao, El Nido sites,” in the BusinessMirror, November 30, 2018.)
Recommended measures
IN said report to the ad hoc task force on island destinations, which includes the Secretaries of the DILG, the DENR and the Department of Tourism, the DILG-BTMT recommended the designation of loading and unloading areas and the installation of pontoons, so motorboats waiting to ferry tourists are not anchored all over the place.
Also, the El Nido local government unit (LGU) must “ensure that establishments within the shoreline have proper rainwater drainage, to prevent beach erosion.”
Other recommendations include: the banning of “sagap-style” motorboats to prevent sand and water discoloration in Bacuit Bay, installation of pontoons or bamboo walkways to protect tourists from the safety hazards of getting to the Hidden Lagoon, strict enforcement of the municipal ordinance banning the grilling on boats, and study possible establishment of a municipal fire station and one-stop shop for government frontline services and business permits.
The DILG found that the El Nido LGU allowed 34 business establishments to set up shop without building permits, with the most number in barangays Corong Corong (10) and Maligaya [eight].
Also, 74 establishments were found to be within the 3-meter easement zone, an ordinance that the LGU had imposed on itself.
Dismantling of easement violations
ACCORDING to Interior Undersecretary Epimaco V. Densing III, “they’ve started dismantling there.”
“Out of 74 commercial establishments within the easement zone with an order and notice of demolition, 49 were fully demolished, 12 were partially demolished, with only 13 remaining,” Densing said.
He said this covered the barangays of Buena Suerte, Masagana and Corong Corong, the latter having the most number of easement violators at 46.
Further, the DILG “found the municipal sewerage treatment plant [STP] located within the municipal sanitary landfill can only process 20-30 cubic meters [cu/m] of septage per day.”
As of October, the total septage collected was 4,500 cu/m, the DILG added.
Densing said the LGU is planning to expand the municipal STP capacity to 80 cu/m a day. He also noted that “the biggest establishment in El Nido alone produces 15 cu/m of septage a day.”
STP located in municipal dump
CURRENTLY under construction, Densing added, is a centralized STP with a capacity 2,400 cu/m per day, a project initiated through the inter-LGU cooperation agreement between the El Nido municipal government and the provincial government of Palawan.
The project is scheduled to be completed by July next year. Earlier, the El Nido LGU was given only six months, or until May 2019, to address its environmental violations. (See, “Task force gives El Nido government 6 months to ‘shape up’,” on the BusinessMirror, November 15, 2018.)
The DILG, citing a report by the DENR Mines and Geosciences Bureau, said the municipal sanitary landfill is a “natural waterway of rainwater.” This was the reason the dump was not used for two weeks in July because it was flooded. The municipal dump is 2 hectares in size, which can accommodate an average of 22 tons of solid waste per day.
The DILG report also noted “only approximately 500 household and commercial establishments have water connection; this translates to a coverage of 20 percent within the four urban barangays.” A new water system project undertaken with the Palawan LGU will provide additional 2,500 cu/m per day.
Image credits: Nonie Reyes