1.

Provide and explain one by one the indicators which prompted the need for Boracay Island to
be closed for rehabilitation.

Boracay Island is a tourist spot in the Philippines. In 2018, the government proposed the need for the
closure of the island for 6 months for rehabilitation purposes. Rehabilitation, in the case of a tourist
spot, means the restoration of the natural environment to bring it back to its original condition. Boracay
island was closed for rehabilitation purpose because of the following indicators:

A. Lack of sewage system and wastewater treatment:

The shortage of proper sewage systems and wastewater treatment facilities can lead to increased
pollution, diseases and make a place inhabitable. In Boracay island, there are only 2 sewage systems in 3
barangays implying a lack of sewage systems. It is important to have a proper sewage system to ensure
clean and healthy surroundings for both humans and animals. Also, the residents of the island don't
know the distinction between the sewage systems meant for flooding rainwater out of the Boracay
Island and those meant for water treatment facilities. This has resulted in wastes being near the beaches
and making the island a cesspool. So, this is one of the main indicators which give a reason for the
government to close the island.

B. The inability of resorts to manage wastewater:

The Philippine government has given discharge permits to hotels operating on the island. But the
problem is that some hotels are unable to treat their wastewater as efficiently as others and also, there
are increasing the problem of wastewater management on the island. They are not able to do this
because they do not have the capability for wastewater treatments as it requires hard efforts. Also, the
administrators cannot check their work throughout the day; hence, it creates a barrier on the part of
monitoring. This again indicates why Boracay Island is required to be closed.

C. Road congestion:

The roads on the island are congested more than it can handle. On Boracay Island, the roads can handle
only 1200 vehicles while currently, it is handling 6000 vehicles. This increases the problem arising from
the congestion of roads like pollution, increased waste of time, increased energy consumption, etc. So,
this again gives an affirmative reason for the government to close the island as the capacity for
managing vehicles is less than what it handles.

D. Disappearing wetlands:

Wetlands play an important role in cleaning the water. These wetlands tend to treat the rainwater
before it is discharged into the sea. On Boracay Island, these wetlands are disappearing due to the
excessive construction of houses, resorts, etc. on the island. Hence, this is another major issue which the
government has to deal with during the closure.
 2. Explain the effects of the Boracay rehabilitation program to the three (3) dimensions of
sustainable tourism (environmental, economic, and social).

Sustainable tourism means that a tourist spot should not only meet the needs of the tourists but also it
should be preserved for future generations and meet the needs of all the stakeholders like industry,
native people, tourists, government, and the environmentalists. In the case of Boracay island, the three
pillars of sustainable tourism will have the following effect due to the closure of the Island for
rehabilitation:

a. Economic:

An economic pillar refers to the financial stability of all the economic participants by ensuring decent
work and earnings at the least cost to the environment. This means ensuring maximum benefits to
society as a whole. Due to the closure of the Island, as many as 36000 people will lose jobs in the
informal and formal sectors. The business sales will go down as the place will be closed for tourists. The
unemployed people will have to shift from the Island to other areas to find jobs. So, the closure has
dislocated many people and caused damage to their livelihoods. On the other hand, people who can
stay on the Island will get jobs in wastewater treatment work and the construction of the road work.
Their livelihoods will improve as they will get jobs when they had none before. So, the closure has
improved their livelihood. Hence, the overall economic effect of closure is negative in the short run as
resorts will be closed and the people have to migrate. But, in the long run, once the closure has ended, it
will open up better opportunities both, in terms of job and livelihood, for people thereby, enhancing the
economic pillar of sustainable tourism after the closure has ended.

b. Environmental:

An environment pillar refers to the policies and actions taken to restore the natural environment like
managing water, sir and soil pollution, wastewater, and solid waste management, etc. Due to the
closure of the environment, the island will be rehabilitated in all respects. These include restoring the
wetlands which will help in better rainwater treatment. For this, the government has halted the
construction of establishments in various places. Also, the sewage system and the wastewater
treatment system will be improved by building the sewage system in the third barangay, thus,
eliminating the problem of the cesspool. The island uses its 76 tons of garbage every day by converting
Biodegradable wastes into fertilizers, selling the recyclable ones to junk buying shops, and sending the
rest to the dumping grounds on the mainland. Treating the problem of wastewater is most important
because it's both risky for human health and the health of natural habitats and water bodies. Hence, the
effect of the closure on the environmental pillar of sustainable tourism will have positive effects as the
natural environment will be restored and then the tourism industry will begin its operation. This closure
is necessary to revamp the Island and make it more environmentally sustainable for future use.

c. Social:

Social pillar refers to the concept of ensuring equitable distribution of income and benefits to all the
participants and non-participants of economic activity. Here, under tourism, this means that the native
people and community enjoy the benefits of tourism without any cost in the form of environmental
problems. Under this pillar of sustainable tourism, the government has done land reforms and some
agricultural lands were allocated to farmers and tribal people. The government has also promised to
relocate the families which are affected due to the wetland restoration process. Also, the road widening
project and the construction of sewage systems projects have provided work opportunities for people
who were not earning enough thus ensuring better livelihood. Also, after the closure has ended, the
natives will have better job opportunities and the environment will be safe enough for settlement
purposes. Thus, this ensures a better quality of life for them. Hence, the closure of Boracay Island for 6
months will ensure better social sustainability for tourism in the future. So, the effect of the closure on
sustainable tourism is positive as all the three pillars will be enhanced due to this proposal of the
government to close Boracay Island for a few months for rehabilitation.

3. How can this problem be avoided from happening again should you be in charge of Boracay’s
rehabilitation?

Boracay Island had the problem of lack of sewage and wastewater treatment systems, road congestion,
and the vanishing wetlands. To resolve this problem, the government took many steps. Some further
steps are mentioned below to avoid this problem to appear again in the future:

 It is important to set up a monitoring committee to check on the actions of the resorts in

managing their wastewater treatment facilities. Any resort failing to manage its wastewater
properly should be punished by either paying heavy compensation or a full closure of their
businesses.
 Excessive construction needs to be reduced to avoid the destruction of wetlands. For this, there
need to be caps on the number of settlers on the island. This will curb the excessive
requirements for establishments on the Island.
 The transportation system needs to be improved. For this, the government should increase the
footpaths for tourists and citizens to walk to their destination. This will reduce the need for
vehicles on the road and reduce congestion. Thus, putting a limit on vehicles on road and
increasing footpaths will work in the long term.
 It is important to make citizens and tourists aware of the problems their actions can impose on
the island. So, an awareness program should be initiated in order to remind the people about
the problems that arise due to insensitive waste disposal. There should be punitive measures for
their actions to prevent any stakeholder from irresponsible behavior.
 All these measures will work to prevent Boracay Island to face the same issue anytime in the
future again in addition to the government measures. This will remove the problem of improper
waste management and insensitive behavior to waste disposal. Hence, these measures will be
implemented to prevent the problem from arising again in the future.