Balagtas, Joseph Christopher C.

2-D

Cesspool No More: The Boracay Rehabilitation Story

A Reaction Paper

The first speaker was Atty. Jessie Banez of the DENR. He started with a mini film presentation,
by showing 6 videos prepared by the DENR. These videos showed the DENR’s Operation: Save Boracay,
testimonies of the Boracaynons, Boracay’s carrying capacity, the Forest Land Agreement for Tourism
Purposes, the 25+5 Beachfront Easement, and the DENR’s Comprehensive Action Plan for Boracay.
The substance of Atty. Banez’ topic was mainly legal and theoretical—what laws are in place,
and what plans are ought to be executed or are being executed by the DENR. These information soon
became very important in understanding the extent of the problem of Boracay which was to be explained
further by the next two speakers.
The second speaker, Vince Cinches, Greenpeace Philippines’ Ocean Campaigner, then explained
that the environmental problem that the Philippines is facing, is way bigger than Boracay; through his talk
entitled Campaigning for Our Future.
He explained that the Philippines is an oceans nation under threat, that our country is an
archipelagic and coastal nation, because 64 out of 81 provinces in the Philippines are coastal, and that we
have one of the most species per square kilometer than any other nation in the world. However, he said
that we are under threat due to the fact that less than 1% of corals still exist, and that 10 out of 13 fishing
grounds are overfished. An implication of the latter crisis is that before during fiestas, those with money
will prepare meat; today however, those with the means would rather prepare seafood, as fish is now
more expensive than meat.
In the second part of his talk, he explained that Boracay is just a representative of our current
state of resources. He said that many other coastal areas in the Philippines are suffering or have already
suffered the fate of Boracay—and that sadly, some of these coastal areas have already reached the point
of no return. He however ended on a positive note—stating that Boracay is a stepping stone for the
recovery of many of our other coastal areas.
The third speaker, Epimaco Densing, the current Undersecretary of the DILG, and the only
remaining original member of the Boracay closure team in the Department, gave the listeners of an
overview of what really transpired before, during, and after the closure.
He said that upon their preliminary investigation of the state of the island, the island’s
environment was clearly degraded. And that upon further investigation, they found out that of the 2,000
holders of different permits in the island, more than 1,000 are non-compliant. They also saw that several
drainage / sewerage systems directly flowed out to the open waters. Many of the establishments
apparently dug up their beachfronts and hid the pipes under the sand. Due to these facts, Usec. Densing,
and the entire DILG urged the President to continue on with his 6-month closure plan.
When the closure finally pushed through, he stated that despite the attacks and criticisms which
his team received all throughout the campaign, his Department was adamant in pursuing and finishing
what they saw as the last hope of Boracay.
 After the 6-month closure, he then turned to explain the success of the Boracay Rehabilitation
Project. That all non-compliant establishments have either been suspended or removed, that waste in the
island has decreased drastically, and that the island was finally back to being within its carrying capacity.
Overall, the talk gave us a holistic overview of what happened in Boracay—the events leading up
to it, the reason for the closure, what happened during the closure, and the repercussions of the island’s
rehabilitation. Although I did have some reservations with respect to Usec. Densing’s talk (i.e. in blaming
the residents for not reporting the non-compliant establishments, and in attributing everything to President
Duterte’s sheer political will), the talk definitely ended on a high note. So much so that even Mr. Vince
Cinches, Greenpeace Philippines’ Ocean Campaigner and an adamant critic of the Government’s
environmental policies, praised the Boracay rehabilitation and was hopeful that it could lead to better
environmental protection or rehabilitation projects spearheaded by the Government.
Truly, the rehabilitation of Boracay could be a catalyst of better things to come environmentally,
but of course, this would still depend on the Government’s priorities. All hope is not lost however, as the
positive effects of the Boracay rehabilitation could be a sign of positive future plans of the Government.