THE Municipal Government of Oslob in southern Cebu is set to implement new regulations in order to prevent pollution within the sandbar and dive sites in Sumilon Island.
In a press conference Monday, April 16, Elizabeth Benologa, Oslob tourism officer, said that starting April 17, they will limit tourist visitations within the sandbar area of Sumilon to only 500 tourists per day.
They also required boat operators who ferry tourists to the sandbar to provide black bags to their customers so they can manage their solid waste.
They also limited the number of hours that tourists can stay within the sandbar.
Benologa said they will only allow tourists to stay within the sandbar.
Last April 8, the local government took the initiative to close the sandbar area for clean-up operations starting April 10 to 16.
Sumilon Island, situated off the southeastern tip of Cebu, is under the jurisdiction of the municipality of Oslob but it is managed by Bluewater Sumilon Island Resort.
The 24-hectare island is within the first marine protected area in the Philippines that was made a fish sanctuary in 1974 under the guidance of Silliman University Marine Reserve. (JKV/VoxPop Cebu)