Presented to the Junior High School Department

Future Generation Philippine International School

Grade 7 A.Y. 2020 - 2021

In partial fulfillment of the learning area

Social Studies

Negative Effects of the closure of Boracay to the residents

Submitted by:

Martinez, Yana Sofia K.

7 - Galilei

Submitted to:
Sir Jolito Magsanay
Table of Contents
CHAPTER 1……………………………………………………………………..……………….1
Background of the study…………………………………………………………..….....1
Statement of the problem………………………………………………………...….......2
Research objectives………………………………………………………………...…….3
Significance of the study…………………………………………………………………4
Scope and limitation……………………………………………………………………..4
Definition of terms……………………………………………………………………….5
CHAPTER 2……………………………………………………………………………………...6
Events leading to the closure ……………………………………………………………6
Closure and rehabilitation……………………………………………………………7-8
Post-closure rehabilitation………………………………………………………………8
Legal case…………………………………………………………………………………9
Quarantine of Boracay……………………………………...………………………..9-10
The impact and aftermath………………………………………………………….10-12
CHAPTER 3………………………………………………………………………………….…13
Summary……………………………………………...…………………………………14
Conclusion………………………………………………..……………………………..15
Recommendation……………………………………………………………………….16
BIBILIOGRAPHY……………………………………………………………………………..17
 Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the study

Boracay is easily one of Philippines’ top tourist spots because of its beautiful white sand
beaches and clear blue waters. This provides a calming serenity for many people in and out of
the country. However, due to its popularity, the beaches became polluted and simply not as
beautiful as it was when it was clean.
One survey found that around 85% of residential and business properties on Boracay did not
have proper, authorized sewage facilities and were pumping waste into the sea. The island
produced 90 to 115 tonnes of trashes daily while its infrastructure could only remove 30 tonnes
per diem.
Furthermore, Department of Environment and National Resources (DENR)’s Ecosystems
Research and Development Bureau, along with the University of the Philippines at Los Baños,
Laguna, commissioned a study to compute Boracay’s “real carrying capacity”. They considered
Boracay’s land area, hours spent on activities on the island and other environmental factors.
According to the results that were accumulated, the province could only accommodate a total of
54,945 people at a time, broken down into 19,215 tourists and 35,730 residents, which include
22,395 stay-in workers. It means that Boracay’s current population of 70,700 had already
exceeded the said carrying capacity by almost 30 percent.
Due to these reasons, President Rodrigo Duterte called the island of Boracay a “cesspool” in
a business forum held on February 8 2019 and announced plans to close the island to tourists and
conduct rehabilitation on June 2018 to resolve the worsening sewage conditions there. Duterte
has directed Environment Secretary Roy Cimutu to resolve the environmental issues in the
island.
The government decided a “total closure” for a cleanup on April 26 2018. This action alone
was extremely controversial since Boracay generates more than 1 billion dollars in revenue
annually and its tourism industry supports the livelihoods of around 36, 000 people. People
experienced hardships as they receive little or to almost no pay or income, forcing them to starve
and go through hardships.
After those 6 long months, Boracay was good as new. Tourists flooded the place almost
immediately and tourism was back on track. But just as things were going well, tragedy struck
again. On March 6 2020, the country was put on quarantine due to Covid-19 spreading fast. It
was closed for a while once again.
They began accepting visitors from Central Visayas again on June 16 2020. However,
process was going really slow. They finally began accepting visitors from around the world on
October 6, 2020. Unfortunately, the pace of the economy was sluggish as the slogan “stay at
home” was being promoted, convincing people to avoid going outside.
1.2 Statement of the Problem
The research was administered in order to discover the negative effects of Boracay’s
closure and lockdown to the people and the economy from 2018 until now. Subsequently, this
research aims to answer these questions:
a) If the distribution of vaccine to its citizens will take much longer, how will this affect
the economy?

b) How can we maintain Boracay’s cleanliness to avoid a long cleanup too soon in the
future?

c) Is it long-term or short-term
1.3 Research Objectives
By the end of the paper, these goals are meant to be achieved and described:
 Examine the phases of Boracay’s cleanup through data found online.

 Understand what the effects of Boracay’s quarantine and closure to the country are

 Make recommendations that may be best for improving Boracay’s economy and
pollution while maintaining safety and the trust of the people
1.4 Significance of the study
The findings of this study will be undertaken to the economy and cleanliness of Boracay.
The importance of this study is to help the economy of Boracay without risking the livelihoods
of the people and its environment. The greater demand of space will be addressed and so will
other factors that we will encounter in the future. This study will also examine facts in order to
be realistic.

1.5 Scope and limitation

This paper was started on October 4, 2020. Information from unbiased and factual sites and
newspapers are used but not copied. Each phrase used was rephrased from its original. There will
be no attempt on manual calculations as a calculator will be used if needed numbers are not
available in the web. Wikipedia is not used as stated on the rules.

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1.6 Definition of terms
This part contains words that you may come across while reading this research paper.
Boracay- small island in the central Philippines. It's known for its resorts and beaches. 
Cesspool-an underground container for the temporary storage of liquid waste and sewage.
DENR- (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) responsible for the formulation
and implementation of policies, guidelines, and rules related to environmental management, as
well as the management and conservation of the country's natural resources.
Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau- DENR’s research arm
Forum- a meeting or medium where ideas and views on a particular issue can be exchanged.
Industry- economic activity concerned with the processing of raw materials and manufacture of
goods in factories.
Quarantine- is used to keep someone who might have been exposed to COVID-19 away from
others.
Rehabilitation- the action of restoring something that has been damaged to its former condition.
Tonnes- a unit of weight equal to 1,000 kilograms (2,205 lb).
Tourism- the commercial organization and operation of holidays and visits to places of interest.

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 Chapter 2
Review of Related Literature

The closure of Boracay and the prolonged quarantine of the citizens of the country had taken a
toll on its economy. Jobs were lost and poverty increased. This had led to people thinking
whether this was necessary or not. A lot of legislative violence ensured in order to get the living
of jobless citizens back.
This chapter contains a detailed review of the provided and existing literature given on the topic
Negatives effects of the closure of Boracay to its residents. We will take into consideration the
words of these authors, the people they had interviewed and factual statements from conducted
studies and such.

2.1 Events leading to the closure

Adding to receiving Duterte’s comments, most notably “I will close Boracay. Boracay is a
cesspool”, tourism department’s spokesperson Ricky Alegre said that a number of establishments
drained their sewage and garbage directly in the sea. He stated, "There are certain areas there
(where) . . . some establishments have illegally tapped their sewage line into the water line,".
This statement was linked to the fact that numerous foundations were additionally fabricating
excessively near the seashore and were in any event, jamming into the streets of the 1,000-
hectare (2,470-section of land) island. (ABS-CBN NEWS-Duterte slams Boracay as ‘cesspool,’
threatens to shut down island)
Subsequently, he ordered Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to clean up Boracay in his
statement "I'll give you six months. Clean the goddamn thing,". He, along with the Malay
officials, cited a contract with top architectural firm Palafox Associates to formulate and
implement a “municipal tourism master plan”. Some portion of the arrangement is to decongest
Boracay by coordinating the terrain of Malay in the advancement of Boracay. They had cited to
do the following:
 pursue and prosecute violators of the 30-meter beach setback
 organize a task force to rehabilitate and maintain the beauty of Bulabog Beach at the
eastern side of the island
 clear residual trash from the island’s central material recovery facility
strictly implement the construction of sewage treatment plant in establishments
(INQUIRER.NET Town gov’t accepts Boracay ‘cesspool’ tag as ‘constructive
criticism’)

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2.2 Closure and rehabilitation
"Boracay is shut for a half year viable 26 April," Presidential representative Harry Roque
said in a Twitter post. This closure was said to be approved by President Duterte after an
exhaustive discussion. They have agreed to set this closure in phases in order to soften the
impact on residents’ livelihood on the island.
Prior to the closure, the government issued warning notices to about a hundred
establishments and infrastructures located on the white beach and other parts of the Island. The
foundations are purportedly infringing on earth basic zones like wetlands and backwoods zones,
disregarding easement arrangements, as indicated by Environment Undersecretary Jonas Leones.
These notices were sent to these establishments for them to demolish their establishments.
Adding to the warning, Leones said that the DENR would look into the possible liability
of government officials for the current situation in Boracay as he suspected that there is a
possibility that it is the local government that might have issued the business permits.
Punishment shall be given if evidence had been proven that this is true. ("Boracay closed for 6
months effective April 26". The Philippine Star.)
Due to Duterte declaring a state of calamity over the 3 barangays of Boracay, the
Department of Social Welfare and Development or DSWD had distributed relief packs to the
affected residents of Boracay from the closure. However, it was confirmed that a lot of these
relief packs were contaminated because of improper handling and hauling. Geamala said seven
of the 2,760 food packs that were distributed on June 16 to families in Barangay Balagbag were
contaminated. Each food pack contained sardines, rice grains and coffee sachets. Taking
accountability, DSWD had apologized for this mishap. “We apologize. We do not want to see
this happening because we give paramount importance to the welfare of the people,” Rebecca
Geamala, DSWD Western Visayas director, said in a statement. ("DSWD admits mishandling
spoiled Boracay relief goods". The Manila Times.)
The native tribes were also affected by this closure. This was seen by the government sp
a group of specialists from the DA, as per Agriculture Secretary Emmanuel Piñol, is teaming up
with Ati tribe individuals living in a two-hectare land in Boracay to dispatch a program that will
give reasonable livelihood to the local area. The program will be part of the 4Ks Program of the
DA or Kabuhayan at Kaunlaran ng Kababayang Katutubo (Livelihood and Progress of Filipino
Indigeneous Peoples), which I personally conceptualized and designed so that the long
marginalized and neglected tribal people of the country will be brought into the mainstream of
society and contribute to the country’s food production program,” Piñol said in his Facebook
post. He depicted the Ati inhabitants as Boracay's ancestral individuals who "quite a long time
ago possessed the entire island however now have been crushed into a two-hectare region, which
they have contended energetically to hold." A nursery will be set up for vegetable development
and a goat ranch for the creation of milk. A natural eatery serving Ati cooking and hotel will
likewise be set up along the sea shore zone to be owned by individuals from the Ati tribe. ("Ati
tribal land turned into Boracay agro-tourism area". The Manila Times.)

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 Envisioning the Oct. 26 re-opening of resort island Boracay, the Department of Tourism
(DOT) has delivered an underlying rundown of 25 convenience foundations with an aggregate of
2,063 rooms that are confirmed consistent with the necessities of the Boracay between office
team and can start activities when the island starts accepting guests one month from now.
“Despite the soft opening, the government’s efforts to rehabilitate (Boracay) shall continue as we
rehabilitate the island in stages,” Puyat said during her keynote address at this year’s Philippine
Travel Exchange.
From October 16 to 25, 2018, Boracay was in part opened or have a dry run of its re-
visitation of the travel industry activities. Filipino residents were just permitted to visit the island
as travelers with local people given need. Evaluation was made before Boracay was completely
resumed on its delicate opening on October 26.

2.3 Post-closure rehabilitation

Nevertheless, the travel industry numbers being carefully restricted for the following a year -
downsized to 6,000 from the 19,000 the island had recently had the option to oblige - there's a
large group of new by-laws, some of which may leave explorers contemplating whether the
public authority has removed all the fun from visiting. (“25 Boracay hotels, resorts get DOT
nod". The Philippine Star.)
In order to keep the cleanliness of the island, the government has devised new rules and
regulations that everybody must follow. A local ordinance on Boracay forbids littering and
defecating on the beach, with the fine for a first offense being 2,500 Philippine pesos (US$47).
Boracay’s new dos and don’ts (as directly stated by the government) (Follow these 8 do's and
don'ts to enjoy the new Boracay. Altavistadeboracay)
 Do not use single-use plastics.
 Do not purchase products packed in plastic bottles.
 Do not use disposable spoon and forks.
 Do not use commercial soap and shampoo.
 Do not smoke along the white sand beach.
 Do not drink along the beach.
 Avoid joining huge parties on the beach.
 Do not throw trash on the beach or in the ocean.

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2.4 Legal case

The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) had filed a complaint against
17 executive officials for their neglect on Boracay’s management. Undersecretary Epimaco
Densing III filed the complaint in the Office of the Ombudsman over the official’s indulgence in
the admeasurement of building permits and their reported failure in addressing the illegal
development activities on the island of Boracay. ("DILG sues 17 Aklan execs for 'neglecting'
Boracay". Philippine Daily Inquirer.)
Officials stated on the document were Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores, Malay Mayor
Ciceron Cawaling, Vice Mayor Abram Sualog, provincial environment and natural resources
officer Valentin Talabero, and Malay Councilors Natalie Cawaling-Paderes, Jupiter Gallenero,
Frolibar Bautista, Lloyd Maming, Dalidig Sumndad, Maylynn “Nenette” Aguirre-Graf, Danilo
de los Santos and Dante Pagsuguiron. The three village chiefs of Boracay (Hector Casidsid of
Yapak, Lilibeth Sacapaño of Balabag and Chona Gabay of Manoc-Manoc) and two municipal
appointees (licensing officer Jen Salsona and environment and natural resources officer Edgardo
Sancho) were also named respondents.

2.5 Quarantine of Boracay

The phrase “stay at home” had been endorsed by the government during late March 2020. It
was being enforced for at least 600,000 residents in Aklan Province and the rest of the country.
International fights had been cancelled and Local flights were prevented, in and out of Manila.
Sea and land travel were both restricted. Poverty was on the rise due to the loss of jobs. This led
to Boracay becoming unable to receive tourists and thus, suffering from loss of income.
In an effort to prevent the spread of COVID-19, the Governor of Aklan, Governor Miraflores
delivered Executive Order No. 019 that orders a 30-day lockdown in the entire territory of
Aklan. With Covid-19 being a virus that is mainly transmitted through droplets generated when
an infected person coughs, sneezes, or exhales and whose droplets fall on surfaces easily, this
was an obvious and proper decision that keeps Covid-19 from spreading.
It was expected, but with the lack of new visitors and tourists going to Boracay, the
inevitable happened. Businesses needed to reduce work force or close down. Citizens became
jobless quickly. Everybody started to worry about food and the needed expenses for daily living.
Those who were able to have cash stocked on food and bare necessities to prepare for the worse.
The unfortunate who was stranded were unable to get home and remined homeless.
This was seen by the government and they quickly understood that these displaced workers
needed help. The Boracay Inter Agency Task Force (BIATF) and local government had given
relief goods or ayuda, financial assistance and more necessities that are needed for their everyday
lives. Help came rapidly as they were able to follow a similar alleviation program that was made
in 2018 after the Boracay closure. Some of the goods that were given contained ready to eat

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meals or meals that required little preparation such as noodles, canned goods and oatmeal, rice,
water and eggs. The last group of occupation help from the DSWD was disseminated to Boracay
inhabitants on September 21. An aggregate of ₱158.9 million worth of help was provided to
occupants influenced by the sense of finality. (“WHAT HAPPENED ON BORACAY DURING
COVID-19?” Villa Caemilla blog)
From June 2020 until now, the current situation in Boracay is slowly getting back on track .
On October 1 2020, the Department of Tourism (DOT) had declared that Boracay would be
accepting visitors from all
As of March 10 2021, the Local Government Unit(LGU) of Aklan is now accepting negative
results from the less costly, saliva-based Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction(RT-
PCR) as an essential and valid requirement for visiting the island.
“Please be informed that as per March 10, 2021 Advisory of the Provincial Government of
Aklan, saliva-based RT-PCR is accepted as a requirement for travelers entering the Province of
Aklan,” the advisory read. In any case, it indicated that Boracay–the region's primary draw–
would in any case force "separate requirements" on would-be guests.
“Saliva-based RT-PCR is accepted for travelers bound for mainland Malay. As per Executive
Order No.005 of the Provincial Government of Aklan, separate requirements shall still be
implemented for local tourists bound for Boracay Island,” it added.

2.7 The impact and aftereffects

“I really can’t believe how peaceful and beautiful it is.” June Vino, a 32-year-old man,
originally from Manila described one of Boracay’s sandy beaches. He has been an inhabitant of
the Philippine island for a lengthy time of 11 years. However, his day-to-day schedule had
changed drastically in the current days. His business has been forced into a halt due to President
Rodrigo’s Executive Order No.53 or most commonly known as, Boracay’s cleanup.
This was only one of the 36,000 jobs that was put on risk due to this closure. Many residents
scurried to predict what their businesses would become. Boracay has lost an estimated $56
billion. and thousands of local residents A record 2 million visitors traveled to the tiny island
during the same period, with 22,648 from the U.S. “Regardless of what industry you’ve come
from, whether you’re a small-time vendor or a permanent employee of a big resort, the closure
has affected our way of living,” Monica, a 30-year-old chef voiced. She also stated that a lot of
people’s morale had reduced.
The advancement of the travel industry improvement in Boracay has changed the island
individuals' way of life altogether. Local people were initially associated with means farming and
fishing exercises. Boracay waters are shallow and need fish plenitude; fishing and assortment of
shellfish were primarily accomplished for self-utilizations while the excess was fundamentally
sold in Katekuran market. The northern piece of Boracay Island"Puka" is rich with shellfish and
is moreover mainstream for accessory making. The Philippines and Chinese purchasers bought

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these items and they are likewise shipped off Cebu and Manila for handling. Furthermore, local
people are utilized in the travel industry related offices and administrations and furthermore put
to rehearse conventional information on fishing, working boats and being local escorts through
plunging, swimming, or functioning as cleaners or sales reps. Be that as it may, the individuals
who lived in the beach front locales needed to move inland to take into consideration the travel
industry exercises on these waterfront areas.
“Our primary concern was for the more than 30,000 people who work on the island that
would be displaced,” stated Jojo Clemente, President of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines.
He said that around 17,000 people in Boracay are directly employed by hospitality
establishments, with another 17,000 informal workers making a living from selling boat trips,
island hopping tours and vending souvenirs. Moderately talking," he assesses that the likely
misfortunes for Boracay will run into the locale of 10 billion Philippine pesos (nearly $200
million), essentially affecting the travel industry and more extensive economy across the
Philippines. (“Boracay Islanders Feel the Pinch After the Philippines Shuts Down a Top Tourist
Destination” TIME) (“Last batch of livelihood grants released in Boracay". Panay News
"On top of these are the families the travel industry associations and visit administrators in
Boracay said in an explanation. and dependents of these workers. The impact on individual lives
cannot be ignored," the travel industry associations and visit administrators in Boracay said in an
explanation.
Following Boracay's half year closure for recovery, the Department of Tourism gave an
admonition to other significant objections that they could be the following objective. Tourism
Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat reported she had sent "love letters" to at least five major
destinations: El Nido in Palawan, Panglao in Bohol, Oslo in Cebu, La Union, and Baguio City.
Puyat said the letters should fill in as a delicate suggestion to neighborhood government units
and business foundations to carefully observe ecological laws. The greater part of the
admonitions have to do with the inability to consent to the easement space for beachfront
shorelines, Puyat said.
There was the demolition of over 600 structures and the additional restoration of streets and
sidewalks. Meanwhile, sealed drainage pipes have been installed to address the sewer system
failure. The first soft opening to the locals happened last October. Another soft opening was
planned to happen in April 2019. A full ground opening happened on December 2019. The aim
of this decision was a cleaner and grander Boracay. Airlines were ordered to reduce the number
of flights going to this Island. Single-used plastics were also prohibited.
The primary thought behind the choice was to go through the break to clean the climate,
improve hotel' sewage treatment frameworks, and to build up a travel industry methodology that
ensures a maintainable future for the island. (“Overtourism: Lessons from Boracay Island, The
Philippines”. hospitalityinsights.ehl.)

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 To control the spread of COVID-19, most governments have selected to utilize isolate
conventions and incidentally shut down their instructive establishments. As an outcome, in
excess of a billion students have been influenced around the world. Among this number are more
than 28 million Filipino students across scholarly levels who need to remain at home and
conform to the Philippine government's isolate measures

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 Chapter 3
SUMMARY, CONSLUSION, AND RECOMMENDATION
3.1 Summary
This research paper plainly expresses of the significant difficulties that arose due to
Boracay’s rehabilitation and Covid-19. After Duterte’s statements about Boracay’s quality; Most
notably him calling the island a “cesspool”. Government officials of Boracay and the country
started this 6-month long clean-up. Before this, they had sent notices to infrastructures that were
infringing on earth basic zones like wetlands and backwoods zones, disregarding easement
arrangements, as indicated by Environment Undersecretary Jonas Leones.
The is the aftereffect of an exceptionally fast and generally top-down measure that may
have been sped up by the consideration on the media after the tempest of December 2017.
Remarkably, the interviewees express blended emotions about the conclusion by saying that it
was a smart thought to adapt to the serious ecological issues however that rules were hazy and
that there was not sufficient opportunity to get ready.
There were good effects in this cleanup based on the interviewees’ observations and
factual research. The most obvious example is Boracay’s cleaner environment. Sightings of
various animals such as baby whale sharks and sea turtles. The title of Boracay being the white
sand beach has been obvious once again. “It had felt as if the sea was alive again”
After the cleanup, they created new laws in hopes of prolonging the cleanliness of the
island. These laws were compromised on requirements of the infrastructures, number of visitors
and dos and don’ts of the tourists. Everyone is required to follow these new rules and failure to
do so will result in a fee. The president has also ordered an investigation on the government
about how they took care of the island. It has been discovered that they had the indulgence in the
admeasurement of building permits and their reported failure in addressing the illegal
development activities on the island of Boracay. These officials were sent to jail and given a fee.
They had re-opened on Despite Boracay's soft opening to tourism on October 26, 2018,
rehabilitation works were scheduled to continue on the island with its first phase to complete
within October 2018. The second phase of rehabilitation was projected to last until mid-2019 and
the third phase until the end of 2019. Things were going well, and visitors were continuously
flowing in order to see the new beauty of Boracay.
However, this was cut short due to the global pandemic of Corona virus. In order to keep the
virus from spreading, the government had added new safter precautions to the citizens of the
country. Flights in and out of the country were also restricted. This includes Boracay. Tourism
being the biggest contribution for Boracay’s livelihood travelling to the island costed a huge drop
in money. This led to its citizens plunging into hardship again. Businesses needed to reduce work
force or close down. Citizens became jobless quickly. Everybody started to worry about food and
the needed expenses for daily living. Those who were able to have cash stocked on food and bare
necessities to prepare for the worse. The unfortunate who was stranded were unable to get home
and remined homeless.

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 Just like how the citizens received relief goods during Boracay’s rehabilitation project, the
government and many of the unaffected fellow citizens had handed out relief packages, more
known as “ayuda” to the ones affected by the pandemic. This was to help them with their daily
expenses that are vital for surviving another day in the pandemic. However, this was not enough
to some families who were too deep in poverty.
The primary thought behind the cleanup was to go through the break to clean the climate,
improve hotel' sewage treatment frameworks, and to build up a travel industry methodology that
ensures a maintainable future for the island. While the primary reason of the lockdown

3.2 Conclusion
This study shows that there were many changes that happened due to Boracay’s cleanup and
the Covid-19 pandemic however both of them share a common effect; a great rise in poverty
happened. This is due to the plunge in economy and tourism. Many had lost their jobs because of
the lack of tourists and the prohibition of going to the island for the ongoing cleanup at that time.
This also happened again but for a different reason in March 2020.
The cleanup may have some benefits such as a cleaner and more refreshing environment that
was meant to last long term. The results had received lots of praise. However, it came with a
great cost on money and the comfortability of the citizens. The closure of Boracay and the global
pandemic had shown numerous negative effects. One was the jobs that were put to risk by the
closures. During the closure, 36,000 people had lost jobs and P56 billion in lost revenue. During
the pandemic, more than 300 workers of 19 tourism-related establishments have lost their jobs.
This had resulted to an obvious plunge in tourism and a sudden rise in poverty. Another effect to
be considered is the education of the students. Not many Filipino students are able to have access
to gadgets for online schooling, so the government officials had put education to a stop in the
first few months. Lessons were delivered outside the traditional face-to-face setup, through a mix
of modular learning, online learning, and TV and radio broadcasts. Still, most of the students
needed help from a professional teacher on lessons that parents did not understand. It was a huge
change in setups and in what most students are used to. Both of these changes were deemed to
sudden because of the lack of preparation.

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3.3 Recommendations
First and foremost, however the cleanup and the distribution of the vaccine would affect the
economy, the main reason is because of the government. Only them would have the power to
control the island’s citizens and make sure that they would be following the rules. It depends on
them to be strict with their rules or not.
To prevent this cleanup from happening again, we could look at examples other countries
cleanup. Thailand’s Phuket beach has a similar theme to Boracay being a white-sand beach.
However, even that beach needed a cleanup. The beach had its first cleanup on 2016 and had
another at just 3 years later. Many speculate that this was to the lack of strictness by the
government.
Whether this cleanup would be long-term or short-term would also depend on how serious
the government is with their new rules. They see this cleanup as a short-term sacrifice and that it
is for the citizens’ own good. It is also dependent on how the citizens and visitors inhabiting the
island would behave themselves. It is quite sure that the business owners would follow the given
rules due to the lengthy process of accepting their infrastructure. This means that any violation
by the building would be seen by the government beforehand. However, it is the small, ignored
rules that could cause Boracay to go back to it’s cleanup. A lot of visitors and citizens may think
that ignoring this small rule would not cause a great impact however, if you compile all of those
ignored rules together, the result is another need for the cleanup. The government needs to be
strict with the citizens and the citizens themselves must know how they affect the island by
ignoring these small rules.
Another solution to minimize to use of plastic is the use of banana leaves as containers of
food. It is already stated in the rules of Boracay that use of plastic containers and utensils are
forbidden. This could be maintained by putting a “guard” every few miles in the beach. This
would force the citizens to use banana leaves or paper for containers. This move would also
provide jobs to around 500 people given the length of the island.
Use of plastic is inevitable so we must find an alternate use for the garnered plastic from
businesses and such. The use of electric cars powered by plastic is possible for 1000 three-wheel
cars and taxis. Electric cars would help with the use of fuel and in controlling the amount of
toxic gas emitting to the air. The government could provide workshops for its citizens in making
these electric cars. This again, would be a provider for jobs even if the Covid-19 pandemic
would be prolonged.
If the Covid-19 lockdown will last longer, the government should be prepared to give out
jobs to its citizens that are not related to tourism. Another option is to allow visitors to the island
but stricken the rules and prohibit too much flights going to the island.
Whatever solution they choose to do, only one thing matters. It is that they should consider
both the livelihood and the environment. Time goes by fast and if Boracay is not taken care of,
Covid-19 or pollution will consume the livelihood of the citizens again.

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 BIBILIOGRAPHY
 "Duterte calls Philippine tourist island Boracay a 'cesspool'". The Star Online.
https://www.thestar.com.my/news/regional/2018/02/10/duterte-on-boracay/
 "Town gov't accepts Boracay 'cesspool' tag as 'constructive criticism'". Inquirer Visayas.
https://newsinfo.inquirer.net/969929/town-govt-accepts-boracay-cesspool-tag-as-
constructive-criticism
 "Task Force adopts guidelines to protect Boracay VS tourist influx". Department of
Environment and Natural Resource.
 "Boracay closure creates chaos on the island". The Manila Times. Agence France-Presse.
https://www.manilatimes.net/2018/04/07/news/regions/boracay-closure-creates-chaos-on-
the-island/390884/
 “The Philippine Higher Education Sector in the Time of COVID-19”. Frontiersin.
https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/feduc.2020.576371/full
 ABS-CBN NEWS-Duterte slams Boracay as ‘cesspool,’ threatens to shut down island
 INQUIRER.NET Town gov’t accepts Boracay ‘cesspool’ tag as ‘constructive criticism’
 "Boracay closed for 6 months effective April 26". The Philippine Star
 Others are stated within the document and in Chapter 2
Dir I have PTSD due to Boracay bye

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