A LAWMAKER urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) secretary on Thursday, February 15, to demand accountability from environment officials responsible for making Boracay now a polluted island.
Samar Representative Edgar Mary Sarmiento said Boracay descended into its present condition because of the negligence of the individuals supposed to be imposing the environmental laws in the island.
On February 14, the DENR issued notices of violation to 51 establishments in Boracay found to have no proper waste water disposal facilities, in violation of Chapter 5, Section 27 of the Implementing Rules of the Clean Water Act of 2004.
DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu gave the unnamed establishments two months to either install their own waste water treatment facilities or connect to the island's sewage treatment plant or they would be closed.
Sarmiento suggested that the DENR should strictly implement the "garbage in, garbage out policy" even on organic wastes, including human excrements to save Boracay.
"A zero garbage and waste retention policy should be observed on these small island resorts because there is really no space for them to handle large volumes of garbage generated by tourists," Sarmiento said.
"They can impose additional fees from tourists to finance the regular collection of garbage and organic wastes which can be transported in mainland Panay using properly sealed barges. Quality of tourists should prevail over quantity," he added.
Sarmiento said the six-month ultimatum given by President Rodrigo Duterte for DENR to clean up Boracay Island is an imprimatur for Cimatu to implement measures that should have been done years ago.
"We really appreciate President Duterte's concern over the rapid decline of Boracay because there is really a need to institute swift and drastic steps to save the island. Hopefully, the hard lessons we are learning now from the situation in Boracay will help avert similar crisis in other premier tourist destinations in the country," Sarmiento said.
This decision of the President, he added, should also prompt the government officials who "want to squeeze every economic opportunity offered by the booming tourism in Boracay" to step up its efforts to ensure that all wastes in the island are properly disposed.
Duterte warned last week that he will close Boracay, which he described as a "cesspool," as it is becoming polluted because of negligence.
"I will close Boracay. Boracay is a cesspool... There will be a time that no more foreigner will go there because he will have -- when he goes back to the plane to where he belongs, he will be full of s*** going back and forth to the restroom," he said.
The DENR and Department of Tourism earlier agreed to step up efforts to save the island and penalize establishments found to have violated environmental and other laws. (VoxPop Philippines)
