4,000 illegal settlers occupying 400 hectares in Boracay: Cimatu

January 26, 2018

Around 4,000 illegal settlers are occupying 400 hectares of forest lands in  the Philippines' prime scenic resort of Boracay in Aklan while at least 100 commercial establishments improperly manage waste.

Environment and National Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu told a House hearing last Wednesday: "About 400 hectares in Boracay are forest lands. However, about 600 buildings are there in the forest land and they are occupied by 3,000 to 4,000 illegal settlers.

"These illegal settlers are competing with the tourism as far as services are concerned. Meaning, the disposal of garbage, water management, everything," said Cimatu.

"I'm just wondering how come this 3,000 to 4,000 settlers were allowed to construct buildings? You are only allowed to build when you have permit from local government," he said.

The hearing was an offshoot of Samar Rep. Edgar Sarmiento’s House Resolution No. 1087 which sought to determine necessary actions of government to prevent deterioration of local tourist spots.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, who also attended the hearing,  said around 100 commercial establishments in Boracay engage in improper waste management, thus contaminating the once-pristine beaches there.

"The ocular inspection in Boracay during the House’s Western-Eastern Nautical Highway Expedition last March 2017 prompted me to file this resolution. What I witnessed there made me deeply concerned that the issues besetting the popular island destination will be replicated in other areas if we do not take decisive action," said Sarmiento during  the hearing.

"But this hearing is not only about Boracay. The situation there can be a universal example of how the tourism industry could be detrimental to the environment if there is no roadmap ensuring sustainability," he added.

Pocholo Paragas, chief operating officer (COO) of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA), agreed with Sarmiento.

"What we're planning to do now, P1 billion to P1.4 billion will be allocated...to fix the drainage program [Boracay]. Initially there was a seven-year plan to build it in phases, but based on what's happening right now...Because the other island areas which are already deemed developed...are starting to be overdeveloped without a correct master plan, it will have the same problem," Paragas said.

The hearing was the fifth by the House panel, chaired by Leyte Rep. Lucy Torres Gomez.

The pouring of waste into the sea and overcrowding of establishments in Boracay were two of the six  issues shown by the tourism department during the hearing.

The others are solid waste management disposal, drainage problems that lead to flooding, presence of resorts built over natural bodies or water, and traffic caused by overcrowding.

Teo pushed for the creation of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force to address the island's longtime and emerging problems. The Task Force may be formed via executive order from President Rodrigo Duterte. DMS