MMDA chair eyed as Boracay consultant
Amid growing concerns of unregulated development and pollution threats in Boracay, officials and business owners on the island are eyeing to tap Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) Chair Bayani Fernando as development consultant for the island.
Fernando met with Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling and officials of the Boracay Foundation Inc. on Friday to discuss the possibility of his helping the island, according to BFI president Nenette Graf.
BFI is a group of owners or resorts, restaurants and other businesses on the island.
Graf said that the local government unit of Malay town, where Boracay is located, and the BFI have requested Fernando to act as consultant to the Malay development council.
She said Fernando was chosen because of his "credibility and track record" in enforcing regulations on development projects during his stint as three-term mayor of Marikina City and as MMDA chair.
"We need somebody with the credibility to ensure the sustainable development of the island," Graf said in a telephone interview.
Graf said that Fernando was "very open" to helping the island.
But they would still ask permission from President Macapagal-Arroyo to allow Fernando to act as consultant to development projects on the island aside from being MMDA chair.
The Department of Tourism in Western Visayas earlier pushed for the appointment of an administrator for Boracay Island who would help ensure order and direction to projects on the island while safeguarding the sustainability of its resources. This is part of efforts to save the island-resort from unregulated development.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources in August called for a six-month moratorium on the construction of new buildings on the island until the Philippine Tourism Authority comes up with a new development master plan for the island which would ensure the protection and sustainable utilization of its resources. The DENR is also coming up with an environmental protection master plan for the island within the period.
There have been renewed calls to regulate development projects on the island which is already facing problems of overpopulation and unhampered construction of buildings.