DENR TO REVIEW BORACAY MASTER PLAN DURING CLOSURE; NEW MASTER PLAN WILL ALLOW DEVELOPMENTS IN ADJACENT ISLANDS TO BOOST TOURISM IN THE REGION

Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu on Tuesday (April 24) said the existing Boracay Master Plan will be reviewed and updated during the six-month closure to incorporate developments that would also cover nearby islands to boost tourism revenues in the Northern Aklan region. 

Updating the old Boracay Master Plan is part of the ‘first aid’ measures the DENR is implementing to solve the woes of the world-famous island destination.   

“We intend to revisit the Boracay Master plan to incorporate it into a more comprehensive Northern Aklan master plan which will hasten the development of Caticlan, Malay, and Carabao island and radiate it to the nearby areas possibly including Romblon,” Cimatu said during the launch of 'Tayo ang Kalikasan' People's Stewardship movement in Laoag City, Ilocos Norte.

Boracay Island will be closed for six months beginning April 26 to give way to rehabilitation activities, including the demolition of structures situated in the wetlands. 

“Within that period, we intend to put in place what we might call the ‘First aid’ solution to Boracay’s problems: among others, putting the sewage and solid waste systems in place; demolish illegal structures, whether big or small – in the foreshore, on wetlands, in forest lands or even within road easements; set up rules and regulations to keep Boracay safe, including the use of jetty ports, vehicles and other means of transport, the entry and exit of people and the like. And of course, the governance of the place,” Cimatu said. 

During the island’s closure, the Environment chief also said a thorough review of the tourism program of Boracay Island will also be reviewed by the inter-agency task force who will also lock heads in the formulation of new attractions. This will include cultural shows and historical tours in the island and neighboring towns or cities with rich cultural heritage. 

Careful consideration for the island’s original inhabitants, the Atis,  will also be implemented during the rehabilitation phase so they will not feel out of place even as developments in their beloved island are set in place. 

Cimatu assured everyone that a cleaner and livelier Boracay Island will unfold once the work has been completed. He said ‘healing’ Boracay from the grudges of unbridled tourism is a must so future generations will still be able to experience its beauty. 

“Boracay Island was left with the problem of sewage, solid waste and other pollutive activities to the tender mercies. They let greed and neglect, as President Duterte so emphatically noted, turn this jewel into a ‘cesspool’. So now, we have to rehabilitate it to let it breathe and to let it live,” Cimatu said. ###

DENR press releases and other news/feature articles are posted at the DENR website: www.denr.gov.ph. For queries/comments, write: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

DENR to highlight Boracay rehab in State of the Environment Address

The ongoing rehabilitation efforts in the pollution-challenged Boracay will be among the highlights of the State of the Environment Address to be delivered by Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu during Philippine Earth Day celebrations on April 22.

Cimatu is also expected to discuss the achievements and plans of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) under various programs, with focus on strict enforcement of laws and regulations on clean air, clean water and solid waste management.

Philippine Earth Day celebrations will be held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay City. This year’s theme is “Green the Cities, Green the Oceans.”

The event comes four days before the start of the temporary shutdown of Boracay to pave the way for its rehabilitation that could last for at least six months.

The Earth Day 2018 theme supports the international goal to end plastic pollution in the oceans through proper solid waste management in households, institutions and organizations. It focuses on reducing wastes from single-use plastics and to end plastic pollution.

According to the 2015 report of the Ocean Conservancy and McKinsey Center for Business and Environment, the Philippines ranks third among the highest source of plastic pollution in global waters, next to China and Indonesia.

The exponential use of plastic has led to plastic pollution which is poisoning and injuring marine life. It is also negatively affects human health, litter beaches and landscapes, and clog waterways. 

Earth Day activities will begin with a “bike parade” from Quezon City to the CCP Complex. This will be followed by welcome remarks from Manila Mayor Joseph Estrada, a message from Earth Day Network Philippines president and country coordinator Isagani Serrano and the address of Secretary Cimatu. 

Stakeholders will then sign the “Commitment to Green the Cities,” and musical performances and advocacy presentations will cap the celebrations.

Other activities leading to Earth Day include the roundtable discussion dubbed “Plastic Pollution in Oceans and Possible Solutions” held on March 21; coastal cleanup at the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA) on April 7; and the holding of “Isang Diwa sa Pagdiriwang ng Kalikasan” or SANDIWANG Festival for the Philippine Forests held April 15.at the Arroceros Forest Park in Manila.

Earth Day Jam, a free concert featuring live performances from various Filipino artists, will be held at the Quezon Memorial Circle on April 28.

The Philippines first celebrated Earth Day in 1990 by virtue of Presidential Proclamation No. 553.

In 2008, Proclamation 1481 declared April 22 of every year as the Philippine Earth Day. It enjoined all government agencies, local government units, and the private sector to conduct environmental activities to campaign for a clean and sustainable environment. ###

DENR press releases and other news/feature articles are posted at the DENR website: www.denr.gov.ph. For queries/comments, write: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

DENR gives biz owners 30 days to remove illegal structures in Coron, warns them of “DENR” impostors

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is giving 75 business owners 30 days to remove and self-demolish their structures built on the waters and within the easement zones of Coron, Palawan.

The directive is cited in the Notices to Vacate served by Task Force Coron on Thursday to erring establishments located in four barangays, namely Tagumpay,  Poblacion 1, Poblacion 3, and Poblacion 5. These establishments include hotels, restaurants, dive shops, laundry shops, and lodging and boarding houses.

The Notice to Vacate specified provisions of the Water Code of the Philippines which prohibit occupation of river banks, sea shores and lakes within a zone of three meters in urban areas and 40 meters in forest areas.  Barangay Tagumpay is classified as timberland, the rest as urban areas.

The Notice also cited the Civil Code of the Philippines which defines shores “and others of similar character” as property of public dominion. The Civil Code also declares as nuisance “establishment, business or condition of property, or anything else which obstructs or interferes with the free passage of any body of water.”

“Malinaw po sa batas na wala dapat nakatayong mga istruktura sa mga ganitong lugar. Ipinapatupad lang po namin kung ano ang nasa batas para maprotektahan at mapanatiling malinis, maayos, at maganda ang bayan ng Coron,” Engineer Roman Legaspi, head of Task Force Coron said.

Coron is famous for its pristine island beaches and breathtaking landscapes. It receives an increasing number of tourists every year, with an estimate of 178,000 tourists recorded in 2016. The influx of tourists prompted proliferation of business establishments, some of which do not only encroached easement zones, but were also found to have contributed to water pollution by discharging untreated wastewater directly into Coron Bay.

This aggravated Coron’s water problem, which is mainly attributed to the town’s lack of a centralized wastewater treatment facility.

“Kaya hindi lang encroachment ang tinitingnan natin. Sinisiguro rin natin na sumusunod ang mga business establishments sa mga batas ukol sa tamang paraan ng pagtatapon ng basura at maruming tubig, at iba pang batas na nagpoprotekta sa ating kalikasan,” Legaspi expressed.

DENR MIMAROPA (Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon, and Palawan) created Task Force Coron on February 26, 2018 in response to a marching order of DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu to ensure enforcement of environmental laws in the country’s prime beach destinations. Task Force Coron is composed of representatives from DENR and Environmental Management Bureau and coordinates with the local government of Coron and other agencies, such as Palawan Council for Sustainable Development, Department of the Tourism, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Philippine Navy, and Philippine Coast Guard.

In a related development, DENR MIMAROPA cautions establishment owners affected by the cleanup drive in Coron and elsewhere in the region not to deal with impostors posing as DENR officials.

“We urge you not to deal with people who obviously want to extort from business owners,” says DENR MIMAROPA Regional Director Natividad Bernardino.

“The DENR does not authorize anyone to deal with business owners other than members of the Task Forces, which were tasked to lead the cleanup and rehabilitation of beaches in Coron, El Nido, and Puerto Galera,” she adds.

The warning came about following reports that DENR field officials in Oriental Mindoro and Palawan were receiving calls and text messages from unknown persons identifying themselves as Secretary Cimatu, and seeking copies of establishments which were issued Notices.

The Office of Secretary Cimatu has been informed about the incident, which then advised DENR MIMAROPA to take appropriate security measures. ###

DENR press releases and other news/feature articles are posted at the DENR website: www.denr.gov.ph. For queries/comments, write: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.