P350-M rehab plan for Boracay underway

Boracay, the country’s prime tourist attraction, is now on its way to recovery.

Tourism Secretary Joseph Ace Durano yesterday reported that the government is set to start a P350-million project to save the world-renowned resort island in Aklan from environmental degradation.

Durano said the Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA), which he now heads, will immediately start the construction of new infrastructure on the island upon approval of the proposed Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP).

“We are presenting it today to the local government officials of Boracay for approval and since they were consulted in the drafting of the proposal we don’t expect any opposition,” Durano said.

Upon the approval of the CLUP, Durano said the existing construction moratorium imposed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on the island would be immediately lifted.

Under the proposed CLUP, Durano said the government would construct a circumferential road and a second wharf to decongest the existing road network and ease traffic on the island.

At present, he said there is only one road network in Boracay, thus traffic problems arise especially when foreign and local tourists flock to the island during summer and the Christmas holidays.

According to Durano, the government’s main agenda in implementing the CLUP is to bring development to the other part of the island and resolve decongestion in the Bulaboy portion.

“Boracay is actually not overdeveloped, but 70 percent of the existing infrastructure is now (concentrated on) 30 percent of the island so it appears to be highly congested. So we have to bring infrastructure to the less developed area and encourage tourists to go there,” he said.

Durano expressed hope that the second wharf and the circumferential road would be completed before the peak season in December.

Meanwhile, Durano yesterday gave the Ayala-led Manila Water Inc. (MWI) direct supervision of the Boracay Water and Sewerage System (BWSS), which the PTA has been operating for the past seven years.

The BWSS is responsible for providing potable water, treatment and disposal of collected wastewater, and management of solid waste in Boracay.

Under the agreement with PTA, MWI president Antonio Aquino said their company will initially take part in the professional management of the BWSS and eventually undertake expansion projects to improve the water and sewerage system.

Durano expressed confidence that flooding, water contamination, pollution and other environmental problems affecting Boracay would soon be resolved with the implementation of the CLUP and the partnership with MWI.

“With the measures we are now undertaking, we can see a lot of improvements and say that Boracay is on its way to recovery,” he said.