THE weather was fine and the sea was calm. I could feel the cool fresh air from the water as I spent the whole day yesterday island-hopping around Mactan and Olango and their neighboring islets. On board a yacht owned by a friend in the company of businessman Raul Laurente, Atty. Eddie Barrita and radio dySS drama spinner Nelson Tantano, we lifted anchor around 9 a.m. at the Cebu Yacht Club and went straight off the shores of Barangay Talima in Olango. We did not set foot on the island. We kept afloat several meters from the shore. There were several motorized bancas beside us carrying foreign tourists who were diving.
We then went back to the mainland and back again to Olango passing several islets. From the Mactan Channel, I observed the massive development on Mactan. There are high-rise condominiums and resort developments, especially on the Punta Engaño side.
Olango is the best destination for local and foreign tourists as its nature is still preserved unlike in the mainland. But I think the island also suffers from the issue of waste management. Although it has no big commercial establishments, but where do residents dispose of their waste?
From the Cebu Yatch Club, you can see the houses of informal settlers along the shoreline, especially at the foot of the second bridge and on the other side going to the first bridge. With the closure of Boracay this April 26 because it has become a cesspool, one can think that what is happening on Boracay is also happening on Mactan.
The question is how these establishments dispose of their waste as some these have no concrete waste disposal management. Most of the establishments have no water septage treatment. They dispose of their waste directly to the sea. The Boracay issue is also happening in known beach resorts in the country.
Coron in Palawan is considered an island paradise. Its beautiful beaches are on one side of the island, but on the other side where there are informal settlers, they throw their waste directly to the sea.
Some residents in Mactan have piggeries that dispose of the animal waste directly to the sea. I was informed that some establishments, including those five-star resorts, connected their waste disposal to the city’s drainage system, which directly drains into the sea.
A test conducted by the Environmental Management Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources showed the presence of fecal coliform bacteria in the water surrounding Mactan. Human and animal waste caused this bacteria. Aside from informal settlers and the failure of some commercial establishments to address their waste disposal management, private and passengers vessels have also contributed to the sea pollution. These seacrafts have no septic tanks to store human waste. They have comfort rooms but they dispose of their waste directly to the sea. The Lapu-Lapu City Government has required vessel operators to come up with proper waste management within 15 days. But I doubt operators can comply with this policy. It is difficult to monitor them.
Maybe they can provide comfort rooms for compliance only. But do you think they will hire the services of a septic tank operator to collect and siphon the waste? I would like to suggest to the Lapu-Lapu City Government to strictly enforce its environmental laws and policies so it can protect its beaches from an environment disaster. The Boracay issue will displace several workers and businesses. The local government unit in Lapu-Lapu City and government agencies concerned should act now before it’s too late.