DURING the habagat (Southwest monsoon) season, the waters off the main beach of Boracay Island push up and out, then hurriedly race to the shore, where the waves finally crash in a massive foam of white on the creamy white sand.
The sun is a pale light in the sky, shrouded mostly by gray clouds while the wind is merciless, whipping about and threatening to wrench away one’s rain hoodie. Still, the walk on the beach is quite pleasant and relaxing—these are rare moments, especially for the local residents, to have the beach all to themselves while the island, remains shuttered.
Once people turn into an alley, and go out into the main road, however, the illusion of the island’s beauty is immediately shattered. There are excavations on both sides of the road, as huge drain pipes are being prepared for installation, while one’s eardrums are constantly barraged by the brrrat-braaat of the jackhammer, breaking apart concrete to make way for more road improvements.
The weather factor
From the Our Lady of the Most Holy Rosary Parish along the main road in Station 1, tricycles pick up passengers along the way, charging P25 for special trips to D’Mall, a hub of eateries, souvenir shops and bars. Only one-half of the road is paved with concrete, while backhoes remain parked on the other unpaved muddy half.
Further past D’Mall toward the direction of Station 3, the road is virtually impassable due to massive diggings, except for a short portion that takes one through the island’s backroads and on to the Cagban or Tampisaan ports. But Task Force Boracay, an interagency government group chaired by the environment secretary, with the tourism and interior secretaries as vice chairmen, is optimistic that when Boracay reopens on October 26, at least 70 percent of the main road will be fixed, although not completely paved.
The monsoon rains have been the main obstacle to the government’s rehabilitation effort, according to Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu. “The weather has been unpredictable…[it has affected] the laying of the pipes,” he told the BusinessMirror recently.
Yet, when the downpour stops, and the sun peeks through, it takes a while before the construction workers and pipe layers take up their jobs again. “They aren’t working 24/7 as the government has promised,” said a local resident who declined to be identified. “If you notice, there are portions along the main road where no work is being done, and yet the diggings are there, the pipes are there, and the backhoes are just sitting there!”
Testing the hotels, infrastructure
Before the reopening, the task force will be conducting a “dry run” of the island’s hotels and support systems from October 15 to 25. Out of the recorded 430 hotels with some 15,000 rooms, so far only 25 hotels—with some 2,000 rooms—have been accredited by the Department of Tourism (DOT) to resume operations on October 26. The agency is currently inspecting 13 more accommodations for possible accreditation, based on the latest submission by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR).
But Cimatu expressed confidence that by reopening date, there will be about 5,000 rooms available for booking for the public. He said 1,000 rooms will be made available each day during the period—“first day [of the dry run], 1,000 rooms; second day, another 1,000; third day, another 1,000 rooms, and so on.” During the dry run, the task force will be able to test its proposed digital identification system, transport schemes, as well as the electricity, water supply and sewerage system.
To be able to control the number of people who arrive on the island, the DENR has proposed digital access bracelets for residents, workers and tourists. The proposal has been put on the backburner pending a meeting between the DENR and private tourism stakeholders.
The digital ID access bracelet was described as “unusual” by Tourism Congress of the Philippines (TCP) President Jose Clemente III, one of the lucky few stakeholders allowed to attend the task force meeting on the island last September 28. “It’s something unheard of. I have never seen it in any other beach destination. You can see it in theme parks or amusement parks, but not on a beach or island,” he asserted.
DOT Undersecretary for Tourism Regulation Coordination and Resource Generation Arturo P. Boncato explained: “There are nuances that are unique to the tourism industry. If you regulate the entry, it will all reach out to how bookings are made. And when you make bookings, there are many channels [and] many distributions, as well.”
Limiting tourist arrivals
The DENR saw the need to control and monitor the ingress and egress of tourists, workers and residents on the island to be able to properly maintain and sustain its environment. As per the DENRs study on the island’s carrying capacity, Boracay can only support 19,125 tourists per day, with daily arrivals to be kept at 6,405. (See,“Only 249 resorts can be allowed on Boracay—DENR”, in the BusinessMirror, Sept 28, 2018.)
The Environmental Literacy Council defines “carrying capacity” as an ecosystem’s ability to support people and other living things without having any negative effects. “It also includes a limit of resources and pollution levels that can be maintained without experiencing high levels of change. If carrying capacity is exceeded, living organisms must adapt to new levels of consumption or find alternative resources. The size of the human population, consumption of resources, and the level of pollution and environmental degradation that results can affect carrying capacity. Carrying capacity, however, need not be fixed and can be expanded through good management and the development of new resource-saving technologies.”
Part of the move to reduce the number of daily tourist arrivals on the island, especially during the peak months of February, April and May, is to limit the number of flights.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Fatima Romulo Puyat has said she has already started talking with pioneering flag carrier Philippine Airlines and budget carrier Cebu Pacific Airways to cut their number of flights servicing Boracay. While certain commitments may have been made by the airlines to her, the issue still has to be fleshed out further.
DOT Undersecretary for Tourism Development Planning Benito C. Bengzon Jr. said, “We will meet [with] the Civil Aeronautics Board next week to discuss the possibility of reducing the number of flights to gateways used by Boracay-bound tourists [i.e., Kalibo and Caticlan airports]. While we recognize the importance of regulating tourism inflow to the island, we will also consider the interest of the airlines for their operations to remain commercially viable.”
If one actually makes it onto the island despite the fewer flights, DENR Undersecretary for Attached Agencies Sherwin S. Rigor said the ID system, in whatever form that the task force will approve, should show the guest’s details, such as what hotel he is booked in and how long he will be staying. Supposedly included in the payment for his airfare are land and sea arrangements, via van and banca, that will take him to the island. Southwest Tours, which had been operating as a land-transfer provider even before the island’s closure, will resume its operations starting October 26.
E-vehicles to provide transport services
There will be three points of entry to the island, Rigor explained. There will be two pontoons by the beachfront for the tourists, where the bancas can dock, while the Tampisaan and Cagban ports are reserved for the workers, local residents and walk-in tourists.
Once on the island, the DENR official said, the guest has two modes of transport to choose from provided by Grab and HirNa, ride-hailing companies that will become not only vehicle owners, but fleet managers as well.
“Grab will be investing some P100 million to purchase 40 four-wheeled e-vehicles that will service the circumferential road, using an ‘Unli-ride’ scheme. [The payment is] P300-350 per person, good for three days, using a top-up payment scheme,” Rigor explained. Grab, which will use four-wheeled e-vehicles, will have identified stops in its designated road network.
Davao-based TNC HirNa, on the other hand, will function as a “fleet manager” of e-tricycles. “If you have a cell phone, you book a tricycle, it will come to you. You pay for the distance based on the LTFRB [Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory Board) matrix. It may be a bit expensive [than other urban areas] but cheaper compared to contracting conventional tricycles.”
About 200 e-trikes will be donated by the Department of Energy to the local government of Boracay under its P1.73-billion e-trike project funded by the Asian Development Bank. These e-trikes will operate on top of the 267 e-trikes already plying the streets of the island before it was closed on April 26.
No parties, no alcohol
Other changes are also in store for visitors to this white-sand paradise that has become known as one of the hottest party destinations in the country. Based on the recent resolutions by the task force:
- Tables, chairs, massage beds and beach umbrellas along White Beach, Puka Beach and other beaches are prohibited within the 30-meter easement;
- Sandcastle making “will be regulated” to stabilize the natural sand formation/nourishment;
- No souvenir shop/food stalls will be allowed on the beachfront;
- Open fire and the use of kerosene gas, lights, lamp and the like shall be banned, along with the fire dancing on the beachfront;
- No constructions of any improvements, such as stages for entertainment performances, will be allowed within the easement;
- Diving and water sports activities are suspended while the DENR undertakes biodiversity assessment; and
- Casinos and online gambling are prohibited and covers gaming establishments operating before the island’s closure.
Will it still be fun?
Those overflowing parties that made the island a hub of wild merrymaking during the Labor Day holiday in May, known as Laboracay, have been totally banned. The task force has decided that parties should be kept within the premises of hotels and resorts.
Also, there will be no smoking in public places; no drinking of alcohol while walking on the beach; while fireworks will be banned before 9 p.m.
Absent all the usual activities that regular visitors and tourists engage in prior to the island’s closure, will it still be fun to visit Boracay?
“Of course!” said the DOT’s Boncato. “Isn’t it peaceful to the mind when you see a beach only tourists like us are enjoying? You won’t step on broken glass, there won’t be cigarette butts [littered on the sand].” He emphasized the sustainable tourism practices that must be implemented on the island and other destinations in the country. “Our secretary has, again and again, said we will do our best to use best practices in sustainable tourism for Boracay. This is not going to be the last. In fact, Boracay is the start. Go to other island destinations, it will have the same philosophy; you need to convert it back to basics, to a more sustainable form.”
Image credits: Everdancer | Dreamstime.com, Stella Arnaldo