Dear Editor:
My husband and I were in Boracay a few days ago. It was a great disappointment to see the island’s main street marred with countless advertisements printed on non-biodegradable tarpaulins. There was not a space to rest one’s eyes from the incessant corporate messages. Every two meters or so, the country’s giant telecommunications companies and an iced tea company screamed their brands and sponsored events. A leading brand of rum repeatedly promoted its mangrove reforestation community project. Even the municipal government of Malay, Aklan, in cooperation with a real estate developer reminded one and all to reduce, reuse and recycle, with a thousand and one tarpaulins. This is a case of the message being lost in the form.
Standing on the white sands of its beaches, one cannot fully appreciate the glorious Boracay sunset as the billowing sails of boats have also been used by companies as ad spaces. Not everyone has a Photoshop to erase SMART, Century tuna, or Nestea on those precious captured images of a rare island vacation.
Boracay could and should have guidelines for advertisers if it wants to retain its position as a top destination for lovers of sand, sea, and sky. These guidelines should designate certain areas for advertising and limit the size and number of promotional materials. Boracay should not allow unbridled marketing by corporations to destroy the natural beauty that attracts people to come to the island in the first place. As part of its efforts to protect itself from environmental degradation, it has to reduce the amount of garbage that is generated on the island and that includes, ad materials with token messages on environmental protection.
Thank you.
Sincerely yours,
Lingling Maranan-Claver