By: Johnny Dayang
The issue about who should manage the world-famous Boracay island paradise is back in the headlines again.
The issue is not about just maintaining Boracay’s tourism draw, but also about securing the very survival of the island the environmental integrity of which has been unnecessarily degraded, partly due to the inability of its political managers to find sound solutions for the problem.
Just recently, under pressure to please the Commission on Appointments, DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu proposed the creation of a Boracay Development Authority, not headed by local elected officials, calling it the “best option.”
As expected, Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores furiously reacted to the idea and argued that excluding the involvement of local government units in the proposed Authority negates the collaboration needed for the LGU and national agencies concerned in effectively managing the island.
Indeed, excluding local officials from the proposed Authority is an unsound idea. This will deny local residents’ direct participation in the management of their own territory, and unduly empower outsiders the license to impose policies that may further aggravate Boracay’s security and environmental integrity.
Boracay hosts Barangays Balabag, Manoc-Manoc and Yapak. The issue about the island is not just keeping its tourism magnet, but about properly and effectively managing it to keep its tourism wealth sustainable. The creation of a Tourism Council and Management Team composed of both local officials and national experts, and constituted in a Boracay Summit will have better impact.
Boracay contributes billions of pesos to the national economy through tourism. Given its worldwide popularity, Boracay is more than just an iconic symbol of an exotic archipelago; it is a landmark identified with the natural beauty of the Philippines.
A Tourism Council and Management Team organized in a summit, participated in by all stakeholders, both public and private, makes sense because a meaningful, expansive, and critical appreciation of various aspects affecting the island’s survival can be discussed in depth.
Promoting Boracay as a choice tourist destination is an issue that can easily addressed. The greater imperatives that need compelling attention and solutions are the issues related to land development and enhancing its sustainable environment.
With new structures racing to corner every inch of the island, the threats to Boracay’s preservation become more complex. The usual parochial solutions offered by local officials and those in government agencies no longer suffice.