Travel agencies upbeat despite coliform issue

CEBU, Philippines – The National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (NAITAS) continues to look positively at the tourism industry despite the recent news of suspected coliform bacteria in the beaches of Cebu.

The travel group, which is composed of 1,200 members from across the country, said it is even positive for the tourism industry because tourists can see that the government is continually monitoring the beaches here.

“It’s good that the coliform contamination has been spotted at its infancy stage. The cluster of local governments along the coastal area of Cebu must work in unity to solve the problem,” said NAITAS chairman emeritus Robert Joseph.

The group urged the government to immediately address the matter while it’s still on its early stage to avoid spreading the contamination to other coastal towns.

Joseph recalled that similar issue was also raised some two years ago but was immediately addressed when Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia ordered the local government units to map out a strategic plan to control the contamination.

“Instead of fretting out and claiming unfair reportage of the issue, local government units concerned must immediately act and solve the problem,” Joseph said, adding that unless squatters are moved away from the shores, coliform contamination will continue to haunt the beaches of Cebu.

The regional offices of the Department of Health (DOH) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) are now collecting water samples to determine the extent of the bacteria’s occurrence.

Rolando Luego, Environmental Management Bureau-7 chief, said that recent water samplings on public beaches here confirm the high incidence of coliform bacteria, prompting them to collect more samples.

“Based on the results of the initial investigation, the occurrence of coliform is now above the standard, however we are still consolidating other reports to determine its total level,” Luego said.

Coliforms are abundant in the feces of warm-blooded animals, but can also be found in the aquatic environment, in soil and on vegetation. In most instances, coliforms are not the cause of sickness, but they are easy to culture and their presence is used to indicate that other pathogenic organisms of fecal origin may be present. — Garry B. Lao/WAB (THE FREEMAN)