BORACAY: RESTORE TO BE MORE

ALLURING PARADISE

CASE STUDY ON PROJECT DEVELOPMENT

FLORENCIO L. VARGAS COLLEGE

TUGUEGARAO CITY

JAO BRILLE M. UBIS

2018
 DEDICATIONS

This case study is dedicated to the people of Boracay

Who in one way of another made the Philippines proud

of our alluring paradise in South.

To my professors, friends and classmates I have worked with,

And to my family who is always there,

This is all for you.

 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

There are so many people to thank for helping me during the past weeks in completing
my case study. First of all, I am grateful to the Almighty God for guiding me to complete my
research.

My sincere appreciation to my family and friends for their comments and

recommendations for the improvement of this case study.

Also, I would like to acknowledge the Professors of F.L. Vargas College, especially to our
Project Development professor Mr. Wilfredo A. Jaucian for his valuable recommendations and
advices. Thank you so much.
 I. INTRODUCTION

While only 7km tall and at its bikini line 500m wide, tiny Boracay is the Philippines' top tourist
draw, fuelled by explosive growth and a tsunami of hype. The center of the action is dreamy
White Beach, a 4km, postcard-perfect stretch of sand lined from one end to the other with hotels,
restaurants, bars and dive shops several blocks deep. The beach path is typically awash with
visitors, including large groups of package tourists from across Asia. The ocean is full of
romantic paraws (an outrigger sailboat) giving rides; colorful parasails fill the air. After perfect
sunsets, live music breaks out, and fire dancers twirl their batons. The party goes on all night.
Indeed, the party has begun to take a toll on the environment of this small island, prompting the
Philippines government to declare Boracay temporarily closed to tourists, starting 26 April 2018
for up to six months. During this 'rehabilitation' period, no local or foreign tourists will be
permitted to enter the island.

“Boracay closed for 6 months starting April 26, says Roque”

A headline from a news article, everyone is in confusion.

“MANILA (4th UPDATE) - President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the total closure for 6
months of Boracay effective April 26, his spokesman confirmed Wednesday.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said Duterte approved during Wednesday's Cabinet
meeting the recommendation of the interior, environment, and tourism departments to close
Boracay for 6 months to give way to its rehabilitation.

The island will be fully closed to tourism, according to Roque.

Duterte, who has described Boracay as a cesspool, had already said he was amenable to a 6-
month closure of the island, even as the trade department proposed a phased closure of the island
paradise in consideration of the locals who depend on the tourism industry for their livelihood.”

For many, the closure is bad news. Tourists have had to reschedule their trips, or leave the
Philippines out entirely from their itineraries. (Not to mention the 36,000 Boracay locals who
will be deprived of their usual business for six whole months, and the estimated US$1.06
billion in tourist receipts forfeited in that time.)
In this study, we will discuss and find solutions why does the government decide to close one
of the most profitable tourist destinations in the country.
CASE BACKGROUND

The official closure is expected to last six months from April 26, while local government gets a
grip on the island’s many problems.

While optimistic stakeholders predict that the closure will end months ahead of schedule, other
government officials think the problems are far too deep-seated to merit an early opening.

Indeed, Boracay’s stakeholders have their work cut out for them:

Inadequate waste disposal: Despite having a sewage treatment plant and solid waste disposal
system that opened in 2003, it served only half of all hotels and a fourth of all households in
Boracay. In the meantime, some establishments discharged their sewage right onto the beach —
the environment secretary revealed that about 43 illegal sewage pipes were recently found buried
under the sand.

Algal blooms — the rapid increase of water-borne algae that commonly accompanies dissolved
fecal matter in the water — have also expanded in size and duration, no small thanks to these
illegal discharges.

Boracay’s solid-waste problem has also escalated. The island's resorts, restaurants and
houses generate 90 to 115 tonnes of trash a day, of which only 30 tonnes are shipped out
regularly to a landfill on a nearby island, according to Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo.

Illegal structures: About 947 out of 1,800 total structures on the island were erected without
permits or on restricted land, many of them shanties built by locals. A total of 579 structures are
targeted for demolition, due to their being erected in forests, wetlands or under the 30-meter
distance from the beach.

But some big fish will also be caught up in the net — the massive D’Mall shopping district on
Station Two, for instance, may have been built on protected wetlands, and may fall to the
wrecking ball.

Tourist congestion: Prior to closure, Boracay was drawing about 2 million tourists annually
— but that number simply isn’t sustainable in the long run.

What to Expect When Boracay Reopens

Improved infrastructure: Fixing the defective sewerage system is a top priority of the
government — by October, there will be no illegal pipes discharging wastewater directly into the
sea, reducing algal blooms and coliform bacteria in the water.

Most of the major road running north to south of the island will be considerably widened as well,
and a new circumferential road will be completed when Boracay reopens.
More expensive stays: The government might decide to make a Boracay stay more expensive,
appealing more to rich tourists than backpackers.

“Make Boracay expensive,” proposes economist John Paolo R. Rivera of the Andrew L. Tan
Center for Tourism — while it lessens the number of tourists visiting the island, this also reduces
the strain on Boracay’s resources, resulting in “sustainable tourism.”

Limits on tourist arrivals: The simple expedient of adding a tourist cap has been tried
elsewhere before — and they’ve worked out quite well for the diving hotspot of Sipadan in
Malaysia, where tourists are required to buy permits from local resorts, who in turn are issued a
limited number of permits per day.

Boracay may follow their example – making the oppressive crush of LaBoracay a thing of the
past.
II. BODY, ANALYSIS AND FINDINGS
III. ALTERNATIVE SOLUTION
IV. CONCLUSION
V. RECOMMENDATION
REFERENCES