Presentation of Boracay's master plan to highlight activity
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will present the Boracay Environmental Master Plan to stakeholders of the island-resort on April 12 as part of the agency's Earth Day People's Caravan.
Environment Secretary Jose "Lito" Atienza will present the highlights of the 25-year master plan, according to a DENR statement.
The 130-page environmental master plan covering 2008-2033 contains a comprehensive examination of the current environmental situation of the island. It also evaluates the impacts of tourism-related activities and projects and the effects of future development projects.
The main aim of the plan is to preserve the environment and natural resources while ensuring the sustainable development of the island.
The plan clearly raises the urgency of the environmental situation of Boracay brought by unregulated development and continued tourism boom.
"If the degradation of the total environment will be left unaddressed, the situation will only get worse unless action is taken promptly to reverse it. Denial, concealment or cosmetic dressing of the problems will only delay, or even worse, completely prevent action that could dramatically improve the quality of life for everyone on the island," it said.
The plan has identified 14 environmental concerns that need to be addressed through immediate and long-term measures.
On top of the list is the worsening flooding problem that has put major areas on the island under knee-deep water during continued rains.
The flooding is blamed mainly on the reclamation of wetlands, like swamps and marshes, and natural waterways and the putting of structures over these areas. With no place for rainwater to stay or pass, water accumulates in low lying areas near resorts and including the Boracay Municipal Hospital.
The stagnant waters have prompted residents and resort owners to install pipes to flush out water from flooded areas to the beach. But this in turn threatens the coastal waters because the pipes also discharge contaminated water.
The DENR plan identified 10 areas covering at least 14.59 hectares that were formerly wetlands but have been reclaimed.
The presentation of the plan is the highlight of the Visayas cluster leg of this year's Earth Day Celebration.
Atienza and the contingent coming from Region 4-B (MIMAROPA) will converge on Boracay Island where they will also visit the waste recovery and recycling facilities which has been lauded as one of the best models of waste management programs.
The caravan which was formally launched on March 31 will stop by local government units for an intensive education campaign on the conservation of natural resources.
Today (April 8), the Visayas cluster will kick off the caravan in San Carlos City in Negros Occidental.The caravan will showcase the sanitary landfill and ethanol plant in San Carlos before proceeding to Sagay and Victorias cities.
The contingent will hold an environmental concert in Bacolod City in the evening.
On Wednesday, the contingent will cross the Guimaras Strait from Pulupandan town in Negros Occidental to San Lorenzo town in Guimaras for an eco-tour.
The group will visit the Lombija Wildlife Park in Nueva Valencia and will inspect the coastal areas heavily affected by the August 2006 oil spill. Another environmental concert will be held in the evening in Iloilo City.
On April 10, the caravan will visit caves of Bulabog-Puti-an Natural Park in Dingle town in Iloilo, before proceeding to Roxas City in Capiz.
The next day, the caravan will proceed to the capital town of Kalibo in Aklan where they will join an eco-tour at the Buswang Mangrove Reforestation Project, considered as the most successful project of its kind in Southeast Asia.
The group will proceed to Pandan town in Antique the next day and visit the Bugang River, considered one of the cleanest bodies of water in the country.
The caravan will end in Boracay to be led by Atienza.