Boracay, Philippines

THE island of Boracay, situated in the Western part of the Philippines in Aklan, Panay, is known to many as the top tourist summer spot in the Philippines to many travel enthusiasts. Making its way to almost all rankings of ?top beaches? in the country, Boracay is heralded for its fine, ivory-white sand beaches and authentic tropical island feel. Having personally visited the island twice, I myself am a witness to the innate idyllic beauty of the island.

TIME, however, may have taken its toll over the island?s exquisite charm. The over commercialization of the tropical island (see fig. 1) has lead to its downfall from a tropical paradise into an overcrowded filthy beach or, as President Rodrigo Duterte calls it, a cesspool. In fact, just this April 26, a government mandate was launched to shutdown the entire for a whopping 6 months.  

TRASH – is what covers the streams, rivers and even the shores of the island. According to a report by the Philippine Inquirer, 12 commercial establishments were already in violation of drainage standards as early as 2017 as reported by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB). President Duterte cites this as the main reason for the shutdown saying that ?"As long as there is shit coming out of those pipes draining to the sea, I will never give you the time of the day (to return)" in an interview with CNN Philippines.

REBOOTING the drainage and water treatment systems of the island does not come without cost. Being shut down during the summer season in the Philippines, beach resorts in the area are sure to suffer a huge blow in their cash flows. Employees in all major tourism-related industries in the island will also be heavily affected. The latest report from CNN Philippines further indicates that over 19,000 workers would be affected due to the shutdown.

LEARNING from this situation is imperative for tourist spots in the Philippines and abroad. Short-term gain and interest should never outweigh the long-term sustainability. From an economic perspective it is more than clear that the injustice done to the environment has a strong influence in economic success of a region.

I hope that all of us could learn from this example and implement better measures to ensure the protection of our environment. It is shameful that such an event should happen to one of the finest beaches in my country – but it is worth it if the international community could learn from it at the end of the day.

Thank you for reading!

Works Cited:

McKirdy, Euan. ?Philippines Closes 'Cesspool' Tourist Island of Boracay.? CNN, Cable News Network, 5 Apr. 2018, edition.cnn.com/2018/04/04/asia/philippines-duterte-boracay-shutdown-intl/index.html.

Ranada, Pia. ?Duterte on TIME Cover: I'm No Strongman.? Rappler, 4 May 2018, www.rappler.com/nation/201795-duterte-time-cover-no-strongman.

Jr, Nestor P. Burgos. ?12 Boracay Establishments Dumping Dirty Water into Sea.? Inquirer News Duterte Formally Asks Congress to Extend Martial Law in Mindanao Til End of 2018 Comments, Inquirer News, newsinfo.inquirer.net/926271/12-boracay-establishments-dumping-dirty-water-into-sea.

Photo sources:

?Drainage Pipes Boracay.? Drainage Pipes Boracay, Philippine Inquirer, Oct. 2017, newsinfo.inquirer.net/files/2018/04/Drainage-pipes-Boracay-0404.jpg .

?Sewage Pipes Leading to Shore.? Boracay Shore, Philippine Lifestyle, philippineslifestyle.com/wp-content/uploads/Screen-Shot-2018-02-21-at-3.21.14-pm.png.