REP. Rodrigo Abellanosa (Cebu City, South District) wants to replicate the rehabilitation efforts in Boracay to tourism destinations in the country, including those in Cebu and Bohol.
In an interview, he said the rehabilitation may not necessarily mean closure of some beaches in Cebu and Bohol, but a review of their environmental law compliance.
Abellanosa, who chairs the committee on natural resources in the House of Representatives, said his committee already asked the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and other government agencies to look into other tourism destinations.
In Cebu, Abellanosa wants the DENR and the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) to check the beaches in Mactan Island and Oslob in Cebu, and in Panglao in Bohol.
“DENR will be looking into their compliance with the ECC (Environmental Compliance Certificate), especially with regard to wastewater treatment and disposal. The DILG might also look into the local government units’ enforcement of requirements, etc,” he said.
Last Friday, Abellanosa went to Boracay as part of his committee’s inquiry in aid of legislation regarding the closure and rehabilitation of the island.
Also during that inspection, Abellanosa said his committee called the attention of the DENR, DILG, Department of Tourism and other agencies to also look into other tourist areas, such as Palawan, Cebu, and Bohol.
“The tourists who come to our beautiful white sand beaches and pristine blue water have been a major source of revenue for our country. It is ironic that our tourism establishments who directly benefit from this would be the ones to kill this opportunity with irresponsible practices such as the disposal of untreated wastewater directly into the beach fronts,” he said.
While it remains supportive of government’s policies, the Hotels, Resorts, and Restaurants Association of Cebu (HRRAC) hopes tourism destinations in Cebu will be spared from any form of closure as properties are now complying with environmental guidelines.
“HRRAC will always support what is good for everyone. But we are hoping it (Boracay closure) will not happen in Cebu. The local government units (LGUs) and properties are doing their best to be compliant with the DENR guidelines,” said HRRAC president Carlo Suarez, in an interview yesterday.
Suarez, however, raised the concern on which easement terms and conditions they must follow to avoid confusion.
He said the DENR suggests 25 meters based on high tide, but what Mactan properties are implementing is the LGU’s guideline, which says three meters.
“We need to know the final legislation on the coastal guidelines. It is hard to act on speculations. It is better to focus on the main issues, like which correct easement to follow,” said Suarez.
While they earlier agreed that Boracay Island badly needs to be rehabilitated, tourism stakeholders believe that closing it to tourists is not the only solution.
Alice Queblatin, president of Cebu Alliance of Tour Operations Specialists (Catos), said both public and private stakeholders should arrive at a win-win situation in addressing environmental issues.
Suarez, on the other hand, earlier said that what is happening in Boracay should serve as a wake-up call for everyone engaged in the tourism industry. He lauded the initiatives of authorities in Mactan for constantly inspecting properties, whether big and small, to be compliant with the laws.
The HRRAC represents 33 hotels and 20 resorts.
A total of 6.9 million tourists have visited Central Visayas in 2017, up by 17.13 percent from 2016. (RVC, KOC)