THE country’s largest business network on Wednesday told the government to go easy on its plan to close down Coron and El Nido beaches, and recommended that penalties be imposed only on violators of environmental codes.
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) is urging authorities “to carefully study the possible proposal to close El Nido and Coron, Palawan.” In a statement, it argued inputs from locals and stakeholders must be considered in mapping out
rehabilitation plans before even pushing for a shutdown of the tourist destinations.
It added local governments should initiate the cleanup of the beach resorts and not wait for the national government to do so. The PCCI said local governments should “be more proactive in identifying and cleaning up their respective illegal waste disposal and sewer issues.”
“About a million tourists visit Palawan every year, the bulk of which go to El Nido and Coron. Tourist arrivals in El Nido reached 200,000 in 2017, and, with the recent closure of Boracay, the figure is much higher this year,” the statement read.
“Closing El Nido and Coron will not be good for business, particularly for the legitimate industry stakeholders, such as hotels and resorts, who will suffer the most from cancellation of bookings and reservations for the coming months. It will also affect a lot of local livelihoods and jobs,” it added.
If Coron and El Nido are closed, then they will be the second and third tourist destinations that the Duterte administration shuts down for rehabilitation—the first being Boracay, which was just reopened in October.
“The PCCI agrees with Tourism Secretary Bernadette Fatima Romulo Puyat that if ever extreme action has to be taken, there should not be a complete shutdown of Coron and El Nido, but, instead, the government must close or heavily fine only those establishments that are proven to have violated environmental codes,” the statement read.
Further, the PCCI called for the resignation, if not removal, of erring government officials. President Duterte last Saturday warned hotels and resorts in Palawan beaches to adhere to environmental rules and regulations, or else face closure similar to that of Boracay.