BIDA versus Kontra BIDA

When I first heard about “B.I.D.A” or the Boracay Island Development Authority, I was instinctively suspicious of it because the idea was being presented by politicians who had no natural stake in the island and had no consistent track record on tourism or environmental protection. It also did not help that local residents on Boracay Island were claiming that some of the proponents were scouting around for properties to buy. Thanks or no thanks to COVID-19, the proposal to establish such a regulatory body never caught on. That, however, has not convinced a small group of local residents and businesses to take down their banners and streamers that say “NO TO BIDA.”

Apparently the Kontra BIDAs had reason not to put their defenses down. After a year or so, a new set of congressmen who are also NOT from Boracay or Aklan are once again floating the proposal and checking if it would catch on among the other legislative dealmakers in Congress. The interesting thing about the “issue” is that it has not lit up a raging fire of conflict or dispute, given the fact that both sides turn out to be very small groups with something in common: Vested interest.

The Pro-BIDAs represent people who want to buy in on the island, set up an authority under the guise of development but ultimately intended for the full-scale commercialization of the island, with their hands in the jar as far as opportunities and profits are concerned. The closest analogy would be putting up a management company to take over or regulate a profitable but poorly managed business, scale up the business, all for a fee or for shares of stock. In order for all of that to happen, a law has to be passed and in order for that to happen, you need a bunch of willing congressmen.

The Kontra BIDAs, on the other hand, are local politicians and businesses who are currently the big fish in a very small pond. They rule, make the rules, run their home grown operations, cartels and monopolies because they were there first, their ancestors lived and died there and that’s how life is supposed to be. They will talk about the need to save Boracay, the need to improve roads, drainage and garbage management and elevate health services and telecommunications, but it’s simply a recurring script that repeats like the waves on the once pink sand. As they say, why reinvent the wheel.

In between these two opposing midgets are the millions of annual visitors to Boracay and the several hundred businesses who pay permits, taxes and rent, trying their best to make a living from tourism. They have no say on the matter, can’t say much on the matter because the Kontra BIDAs take criticism or a contrary view as a personal affront or attack against them. But the facts remain that if the national government were to conduct an evaluation of goods and services invested in Boracay island compared to all the tourism-related money collected from businesses and visitors, very little is being reinvested or spent for Boracay development in terms of basic services and necessary infrastructure.

Early this month we visited Boracay and flooded streets were a regular occurrence, the backroads and alleyways were very littered with garbage. In spite of beach clean ups undertaken by business owners and very FEW government employees, the beach regularly washed up with assorted garbage, particularly plastic. Worst of all was the failure of local authorities to stop the hundreds of men and women who crowd the main pathway of tourists, harassing them with offers for boat rides, kayak or canoe rentals or pa-luto (local restaurants). To say several hundred is no exaggeration and they are all called “commissioners” because that’s what they do, they get customers to businesses for a small fee or simply rip off tourists by overpricing the services.

If you’ve bought car parts at Banawe street in Quezon City and have been harassed by “runners,” then you know what it feels like, except that on Boracay Island, the commissioners are in your face and even get touchy-touchy, so much so that Korean tourists actually run away from the harassment and the risk of getting infected with COVID! According to my local friends, there have been a number of guests who were fooled into paying overpriced fees for kayaks and boat rides and left dry on the beach.

So while the BIDAs and the Kontra BIDAs have their stand-off, Boracay Island slowly deteriorates like a business where people just keep taking all the profits and never re-invests any. I don’t support either side, but I do hope that President Bongbong Marcos realizes that for him to get what he wants in terms of improved tourism facilities and destinations, someone with power has to be in-charge. Remember the phrase “I would rather have a country run like hell by Filipinos than one run like heaven by foreigners”… Let’s not!

*      *      *

There is now a bill or proposed law in Congress to declare illegal the act of “Lane splitting” or driving over the white lines or lane markers among Motorcycle riders as well as “Filtering” or where they pile up at the front of the intersection instead of waiting behind the vehicle in front of them. Is this really the problem and the solution? If Congress simply made a law providing for a dedicated motorcycle and bicycle lane for all roads and make it a requirement for them to stay there, we would save more lives and solve the secondary problem of lane splitting. We simply have to study all the best practices and engineering solutions globally and adopt what works for the Philippines. An engineering solution is harder to violate than legislation. Give them a lane and they will use it, they already are in many places!!!

*      *      *

E-mail: [email protected]