Lantin 1

English12
Ma.AngelaLantinR31
April8,2016
CleanUpAct:
WaterandLandPollutiononBoracayIslandAsAHindrance
ToAttainingSustainableCoastalTourism
PlentyofarticleshavebeenwrittenaboutBoracayIslandandtherearemanydifferent
viewsinthepool.TherearearticlessuchasBoracayIslandisBeachPerfect,andBoracay
IslandOneoftheworldsbestbeachesOntheotherhand,therearearticlessimilarto
Boracay A Paradise in Distress and Boracay on the edge of disaster. The
aforementionedarticleswerewrittenintheyears2005,2007,2012,and2015respectively.
Theshiftinmoodbetweenthearticlesisunsettlingandmakesonequestionthecurrentstate
oftheisland.Boracayhasalwaysbeenatopdestinationforforeignandlocaltourists,itis
knownforitscrystalclearwaters,powderysand,andmorerecentlyitsnightlife.Tourists
flock to the island, particularly during summer months, and naturally their consumption
createswaste.Theamountofwasteaccumulatingontheislandhasalwaysbeenaconcern
anditishightimeseriouslongtermactionistakentoaddresstheproblem.
BasedonarecentarticleofEngr.TreshaLynG.Lozanes,EMSIIonManaging
SolidWasteontheIslandofBoracay,theislandisgenerating7to10tonsdailywaste.Since
lastyear,thevolumeincreasedby20%duringpeakseasonfromDecembertoMay.
(VirreyPizzato).Withthecopiousamountsofwastebeingproduced,someofitfindsitsway
tothecoastalwaters. Therehavebeenreportsontheunpleasantodorandaccumulationof
algaeontheshoresofBulabogbeach.Datahasbeenretrievedconfirminghighlevelsof
coliformbacteriainthewaterinducingsuchreactionsthatmaybeputtingoffthetourists.
Scientistsreportthatthewastegoingintothewaterssurroundingthebeacharecontaminating
them with waste nutrients and that the rapid algae growth is a sign of this (Dulay).
Coliformbacteriaissimplyevidencethatwastehasbeenorispresentinthewaters,the
bacteriaitselfisnottheagentthattransmitsillness.Despitethis,thepresenceofcoliform
bacteria in the water is still a matter of concern regarding health due to the fact that it
indicatesthatotherorganisms,thosecapableofspreadingdisease,arepresentinthewater.

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Thehighlevelsofcoliformisreminiscentofthesamescarein1997,theDepartment
ofEnvironmentalandNaturalResources(DENR)EnvironmentalManagementBureau

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(EMB)officeinWesternVisayasreportedthatcoliformbacterialevelsinadrainageoutlet
thatemptiesintotheseainSitioBulaboginBoracayexceededsafestandardsandreached
47,460 most probably number (mpn) per 100 millimeter (ml). The safe level is 1,000
mpn/100mlforswimmingandotherhumancontactactivities.Theincidentcausedadecline
intouristarrivalsthushurtingBoracaystourismindustryduringthatperiodoftime.
Boracays tourism industry stems solely from the coastal environment. Coastal
tourismallowsforanescapefromtherushofdailylife,timetospendwithfriends and
family, and ultimately creates chances for leisure time. An archipelago such as the
Philippines,beingprimarilymadeofislands,istheperfectplaceforthisindustrytoflourish
sincethereisanabundanceofbeachestomakethemostof.Otherthancreatingopportunities
forleisure,coastaltourismopensdoorstoeconomicgrowth.Itinfluenceshikesinproceeds
from foreign exchange, increase in government income, the formation of business
opportunities,andthecreationofjobs(Coastlearn).Coastaltourismalsoservesasaplatform
for education on the environment and helps promote appreciation for it and the natural
resources it provides. It is essential to make coastal tourism sustainable to keep these
windows of opportunity open so that future generations may also reap its benefits.
Unfortunately, sustainability is currently unattainable for the coastal tourism industry of
Boracay due to insufficient infrastructure for waste management, feeble enforcement of
sanitation policies, and lack of tourist awareness thus these issues need to be addressed
immediatelybygovernmentauthorities.
Sustainable coastal tourism depends greatly on the preservation of the desirable
physicalaestheticoftheenvironment.Onaccountofthisdependenceontheappearanceof
theenvironment,attainingsustainabilityputsforthspecificdemands.Thismeansthatthere
arecertainmattersthatmustbetakenintocarefulconsiderationwhenaspiringforsustainable
coastaltourismthatdonotnecessarilyapplytoothertourismsites.Anexamplewouldbe
ensuringthecleanlinessofcoastalwaters.Thisisinviewofthefactthattheindustryis
directlyaffectedbyenvironmentaldegradation(Onget.al550).Iftheresourcesprovidedby
theenvironmentareusedwarily,theeradicationofsuchcanbeavoidedthuskeepingthe
coastaltourismindustryalive(Wong23).

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However,inmajorityofcoastaltouristsites,thesupplyofnaturalresourcesisunable
to cope with the demand for such resources coming from the influx of tourists. Tourist
consumptionratesoffoodandwateroverrunthelocalsupplies.Foodsupplyisdepleted
quantitativelywhilewatersupplyisdegradedbothquantitativelyandqualitativelydueto
excessiveusageandpollution.Withtheabuseoffoodandwatersuppliescometrashand
commonlyparticularlyduringpeakseason,thelocalinfrastructureisunabletomanagethe
copiousamountsofgarbage.Theinadequateinfrastructurecontributestowaterpollutionthat
induceschangeinthepropertiesofthewatercreatingalgalbloom,healththreatstowildlife,
andunappealingaesthetics(Ghosh68).
Asmentionedearlierinthepaper,BoracayIslandhasandiscurrentlystilldealing
withissuesofwaterandlandpollution.AccordingtoanarticlepublishedbytheDepartment
ofEnvironmentandNaturalResources(DENR),Theenvironmentchief[RamonJ.P.Paje]
saidtheevidentcauseofbeachpollution,whichcanbeabigturnoffformostofthetourists,
isthelackofproperdrainagesysteminthearea(DepartmentofEnvironmentandNatural
Resources). Boracay Islands current sewerage grid, operated by Boracay Island Water
Company(BIWC)hasyettobecompletedmakingitdifficultforanumberofresidentialand
commercialestablishmentstoconnecttothefacilitythustheircontaminatedwastewatersare
beingillegallydischargedelsewhereandmakingwaytothecoastalwaters.
AsidefromwaterpollutioninBoracaythereisalsotheproblemoflandpollution.
Boracays nightlifehas madeaconsiderable reputationforitselfas being thebest.Both
foreignandlocaltouristsvisittheislandtotakeadvantageofthenumerousbarsandparties.
Butnightsfullofpartying,food,andalcoholinevitablyleavebehindconsiderableamountsof
garbage.OnabeachcleanupoperatedbyNesteaandBoracayFoundationIncorporated(BFI),
201kgworthofnonbiodegradablelitterwasgatheredand102.5kgoftrashwasfoundinthe
watersafterLaboracay2015apartyhostedforlabordaycelebrations(Garcia).Thewaste
producedontheislandprimarilycomesfromdailytouristconsumptionsuchaspaperand
plasticfoodpackaging,bottlesofliquor,cansofsoda,scrappedelectricalappliances,kitchen
wastes,andsoforth.Improperdisposalofthesewastescontributestobothlandandwater
pollutionontheislandbyaddingtounsegregatedgarbageheaps,cloggingwaterpipes,and
contaminatingthecoastalwater(VirreyPizzato).

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AccordingtoBenitoC.BengzonUndersecretaryforTourismDevelopment,reports
oftherecenthighcoliformlevelsdidnotdisturbtherateoftouristarrivalsinBoracayand
theystillexpectthenumberoftourists visitingtheislandtoincrease(Andrade).Thisis
preciselywhylocalandnationalauthoritiesneedtostartactingonthecurrentinsufficient
structureandlaxenforcementofrules.Moretouristsareexpectedtocometotheisland,
whichentailsmoretouristconsumptionandmorewaste.Therewillcomeatimethatthe
waste management system on Boracay island will not be able to handle the extensive
amountsofvisitorsandifnoactionistakenitwillbetoolateandthiscouldgreatlyaffectthe
coastaltourismindustryofBoracay.
Inorder tomaintain Boracays reputation as anislandparadisewithcrystalclear
waters and untarnished white sands, waste management must be closely monitored and
furtherpollutionoftheislandmustbeaverted.Asmentionedearlierinthepaper,thecurrent
foundation foroperations onwaste management are meager and cannot handle the trash
producedontheisland.Thusitisimperativethatlocalandnationalauthoritiesimproveand
maintainwastemanagementoperationsonBoracayIsland. Sufficientinfrastructurerenders
more efficient waste management and treatment thus preventing waste leakages into the
coastalwaters.
Governmentauthoritieshaveaddressedthewastemanagementconcernsinthepast
withtheimplementationofasegregationprogramforsolidwasteandthebeginningofthe
operation of a centralized water treatment plant. According to the International Finance
Corporation(IFC)the initialsolid waste segregationprogram implementedonthe island
provedsuccessful.TheprograminvolvedthesetupofMaterialsRecoveryFacilities(MRF),
where waste is properly segregated and processed, in each barangay of the island. The
BoracayChamberofCommerceandIndustry(BCCI)togetherwithsupportfromgovernment
authoritiesimplementedtheprojectinApril2008byreasonoftheIFCsobservationin2005
thatwastesegregationisnotpracticedontheislandandnosolidwastemanagementfacilities
wereinoperation.Asaresultoftheemploymentofthisoperation,maintouristsiteshadbeen
deemedgarbagefree(Onget.al555556).

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Unfortunately, as tourism continues to flourish in Boracay and tourist arrivals
continuetospikeeachyear,theseminiatureMRFscannolongeraccommodatetheamountof

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garbagebeingproducedbytouristconsumption.Localgovernmentunits(LGU)havenoted
thisandaccordingtoRoanneJoyB.Sallave,anemployeeattheDENRofRegion6,The
LGUMalayhasfiledanapplicationforissuanceofPresidentialProclamationand/orSpecial
PatentoveraparceloflandinBrgy[Barangay].Yapak,BoracayIsland.theLGUisnow
anticipating theneed tohave apermanentareathat shall besolelyusedforits MRF to
addresstheburgeoninggarbage/wastematerialscollecteddaily(Sallave).Itisimportant
theapplicationisapprovedsoonsothatoperationscanbegin.Anareadesignatedsolelyfor
thepurposeofoperatinganMRFwillundoubtedlyaidinprocessingthecopiousamountsof
garbageproduceddailyandrelievepressureontheMRFsateachbarangaytoprocessquickly
thusmakingoperationsmoreefficient.
Inconjunctionwithsolidwastemanagementpractices,theBoracayWaterSupply
System (BWSS) and BIWC initiated construction of centralized water treatment plants.
StudiesconductedonthewaterqualitypresentedpromisingresultsasthecoliformandpH
levelsdecreased.Althoughstudieshaveproventhatthecentralizedwatertreatmentsystem
works, it is incomplete and according to Ramon J.P. Paje, a number of residential and
commercialestablishmentshavenotbeenabletoconnecttotheunfinishedseweragegrid.
Thecapabilitiesoftheincompleteseweragegridcannothandlethelargenumbersoftourists
thatvisitBoracay(Dulay),particularlyduringthepeakseason,whichexplainstheseasonal
algalbloomduringpeakmonths.Itisvitalthatthewatertreatmentfacilitiesarecompletedto
eradicatesewageoutflow thatiscontaminatingthecoastalwatersinordertoensureand
maintainthecleanlinessanddesirableaestheticofBoracayspristinewaters.
Amidsttheoperationoftheseprograms,thereistheneedforproperenforcementof
sanitationpoliciesinordertosuperviseoperationsinvolvingthesefacilitiesandtoregulate
theamountsoftrashgoingintothem.InthewordsofAtty.DodoDulay,Boracay,toutedas
oneoftheworldsbestbeaches,isindangerofturningintoanenvironmentaldisasterdueto
the spotty enforcement of sanitation and wastewater rules Waste segregation systems
cannotbeleftunmonitoredandtheauthoritieshavetheresponsibilityofensuringthatsuch
operations run smoothly hence potent enforcement of current environmental policies is
essentialtopreventanyfurtherdamageonthecoastalenvironment.Improvementsmadeon
thewaypoliciesareenforcedmeanstightersupervisionoftouristwastedisposalandthe

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processingofthesewastestoensurethegarbagewindsupinthecorrectplaceratherthanthe
shoreandcoastalwaters.
Inlightoftheproblemsregardinginadequatesolidwastemanagement,responsibility
forhandlingbiodegradableandrecyclablewastewasgiventothebarangaysinBoracaywhile
the residual waste is to be handled by local government units (LGUs) (VirreyPizzato).
However,tourismrelatedorganizations needtoprovidemoreassistancetosmallerfirms,
such as LGUs, that lack the financial resources so that these firms can help with the
implementation of sustainability programs (qtd. in Bui 2000) (Ong et. al 565). A prime
exampleofthissituationwouldbetheBoracayIslandMasterPlan(BMDP)inthelate1980s.
TheDepartmentofTourism(DOT)begantheirplansforsustainabletourisminBoracay
whentheBMDPwascreatedtohandletheinfluxofarrivalsduetorisingvisitorratesonthe
island.TheLocalGovernmentCode(LGC)in1991resultedinthehandingofresponsibility
ofeffortstowardsmanagingthedevelopmentofBoracayIslandfromtheDOTovertothe
LGUwhichinturnledtothefailuretoimplementthechangesspecifiedintheBMDPsince
theLGUlackedsufficientresourcestooverseethemanagementrequiredbytheprogram.
DuetotheLGUsfailuretoimplementtheBMDP,responsibilitywasreassignedtotheDOT
under Memorandum Order No. 214 in 2006 (qtd. in Burgos 2008; DOT, 2008) and the
EminentPersonsGroupthatisledbytheTourismSecretary.(Onget.al552)
BramwellandLane,researcherswhoconductedastudyonsustainabletourismand
government planning, suggest that since local authorities do not possess the human and
financialresourcesthatthenationalauthoritydoes,interventionbythestateisnecessaryto
ensurethesustainabilityofcoastaltourismdevelopment.Alongwithhelpfromthestate,
managing the sustainability of tourism development also relies on cooperation among
stakeholders to monitor tourism activities (Ong et. al 564565). Tourism undersecretary
BenitoC.Bengzonalsoexpresseshisawarenessofthisneedtoworktogetherashestated,
itwouldbecrucialforDOTto getthesupportofthelocalstakeholdersandlocal
establishmentsbecausetheyhavemorestakethananyoneelse(italicsmine),morethanthe
visitorsorthetourists(Andrade).Therefore,authoritiesatbothlocalandnationallevels
mustworkhandinhandtocreateastrongerenforcementbody.

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With adequate infrastructure and effective enforcement of policies,
attaining sustainable coastal tourism on Boracay Island becomes feasible.
Nevertheless,evenwithsuchimprovements,itallcomesdowntotouristbehavior.
Based on experience, many tourists are careless and unconcerned with their
disposalofwaste.Itisnotuncommontofindplasticbottles,emptybagsofchips,
cigarettes,andthelikefloatingaroundinthewaterorburiedinthesand.Every
pieceofgarbageaddstothewasteproblemandthetouristsseemunawareofthe
imminentdangersthatawaitifthissortofbehaviorcontinues.Lackoftourist
awarenessisanevidentprobleminBoracay.Iftouristscontinuetoimproperly
dispose their waste nothing will change hence tourist education is of utmost
importanceinordertoachievesustainabletourism.
Environmental education informs tourists in hopes of making them more
environmentallyawareoftheirbehavior(qtd.inKnapp,2000)andresponsiblewiththeir
actionstowardstheenvironment(qtd.inOrams,1997).Studiesonthetopichaveproduced
varying results, some produced results exhibiting the existence of a corelation between
environmental knowledge and more responsible behavior while others presented data
showingthattherelationshipbetweenthetwoisnegligible(Mensah7273).Althoughsome
studieshaveshownaminimalrelationshipbetweenbeingenvironmentallyknowledgeable
andenvironmentallyresponsible,thereisnoharminmakingtouristsawareofthepollution
ontheislandandtheplausibledangersifitcontinuestoworsen.
Aproposedwayofmakingtouristsawareofthecausesandeffectsofpollutiononthe
islandistosetupbulletinboardswithgraphicimagesofwhatiscurrentlyhappeningaround
themduetotheirirresponsiblewastedisposalhabits.AstudyconductedbyJenniferCantrell
ontheeffectivenessofgraphicwarningsproducedresultsthatprovedpictorialwarningsare
significantly more effective when communicating information. Quoting directly from
Cantrellsstudy,imagesdesignedtoillustratetextinformationstimulategreatermessage
processingbecausepicturesdrawattention,improvelearningandmemoryandimpactpost
message attitudes (Cantrell78). This concept could beapplied totourism educationin
Boracayinordertomaketouristsawareofthecurrentstateoftheislandandtopromotewary

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touristbehaviorsoastoaverttheeradicationofthecoastalshoresandrealizesustainable
tourismontheisland.

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Insummary,governmentauthoritiesneedtofocustheirattentionontheabsenceof
adequatewastemanagementfacilitiesontheisland,anefficientsystemofenforcementof
environmental policies, and environmental awareness of tourists. These are all factors
contributingtothedepletionofBoracayscoastalenvironment.Thecoastaltourismindustry
in Boracay relies heavily on the environment thus preservation of the islands natural
resourcesiskeytokeeptheindustryalive.Theseissueshinderthecoastaltourismindustry
from becoming sustainable and the longer they stay unresolved the deeper the damage
becomesonbothBoracaysenvironmentanditscoastaltourismbusiness.
The relationship between the environment and sustainable coastal tourism was
coveredinthispaperhoweverthereareotherfactorsthatneedtobeconsideredwhenaiming
toattainsustainability.Theinterrelationshipbetweenoverpopulationandsustainablecoastal
tourismisanimportantareaforstudy,especiallyinthecaseofBoracayduetotherising
tourist arrival rates. Boracay Islands coastal tourism business provides opportunities for
leisure,economicgrowth,education,andappreciationfortheenvironmentsoitisimportant
toensuretheindustrycontinuestoflourishforfuturegenerations.

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