Lawmaker backs Camiguin as alternative to Boracay

MANILA, Philippines — Compared to the overcrowded and soon-to-be closed Boracay, local and foreign tourists can take their much-needed vacation by enjoying the tranquility of the white beaches and healing springs of Camiguin, a lawmaker said. 

“We have cold springs, hot springs, soda water springs, several waterfalls, more volcanoes than towns, white sand, pristine seas, and an (Association of Southeast Asian Nations) Heritage Park,” said Camiguin Rep. Xavier Jesus Romualdo. 

“We have the freshest air. We have an infinite supply of cool and clean water,” the young lawmaker added, referring to the greenery that covers the entire pearl-shaped island, located about 10 kilometers off the northern coast of Mindanao. 

Camiguin is the second smallest island-province in the country, in both population and land area, after Batanes in the northernmost part of the Philippine archipelago. Its population is 88,478 (based on 2015 census data) and is approximately 238 square kilometers wide. 

Romualdo, chairman of the House committee on government reorganization, expressed support for President Duterte’s order to clean up Boracay and other tourism destinations to entice investments and spur economic development. 

“If we do not take care of our environment, if we allow the pollution of our seas and waters or allow the destruction of our forests and mountains, we lose the very things that make people want to come and spend their money here,” he said.

For their part, House Deputy Speaker Raneo Abu and eastern Samar Rep. Ben Evardone are hopeful that the Department of Tourism (DOT) can find ways to promote other tourist attractions to address the expected losses as a result of the shutdown of Boracay. 

“We should be proud of our other tourist destinations. Let’s make an aggressive marketing of these best places. Many (foreign) tourists are here in the country to see our sun-kissed beaches and rich natural resources,” Abu said. 

Abu, a congressman from Batangas, said the DOT could tap other places in the country for tourists to enjoy.

“Let us provide tourists with more travel guides that would help them get educated and discover our other natural wonders and resources. With (effective tourism promotion), we will attain significant economic development,” he said. 

Evardone called on the tourism department “to aggressively market and promote alternative destinations in our country” following news reports of 700,000 cancellations of foreign tourist bookings in Boracay. 

“Tour operators should also offer other destinations to those with cancelled reservations. This will help cushion the impact on our tourism revenues and job displacements,” said Evardone, chairman of the House committee on banks and financial intermediaries.  

The Visayan administration lawmaker said “our country is blessed with so much beautiful, enchanting and unique natural tourist destinations, which are equally beautiful as Boracay.”

Even before they promoted Camiguin as a tourism destination, the local government unit (LGU) made sure to put in place regulations, such as the construction and operation of a solid waste management facility compliant with the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act. 

The LGU has likewise issued comprehensive land use ordinances and formulated a tourism master plan.

Today, even with hundreds of thousands of tourists visiting every year and more establishments and businesses coming in and opening in Camiguin, the province is able to retain its natural beauty and protect and preserve its environment and natural resources. 

Apart from its breathtaking white sandbar, Camiguin also boasts of the Sunken Cemetery, Katibawasan and Binangawan waterfalls, hot springs and Mt. Hibok Hibok, whose last eruption was in 1953. 

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