93. BORACAY CLOSED NOW OPEN

BORACAY CLOSED NOW OPEN

Dr. Troy Alexander G. Miano

01 June 2019

The closure of Boracay started on April 26, 2018 as part of the government's efforts at the island's rehabilitation brought about by the violations of building and sewerage regulations by business establishments and deteriorating environmental conditions. As part of the closure, Boracay would be closed except to registered island residents and employees of its business establishments.

I already had two articles regarding Boracay in hISTORYA: Godofredo P. Ramos, Caticlan & Bora, Malay (May 19, 2017) and GSTC @ Endangered Bora (March 15, 2018). The second article focused on the environmental issues on Bora. For the past decade, I was able to witness the status of the beaches and populated establishments along the seashore in my numerous trips to the island and its neighboring islets. When I heard the news on TV that President Duterte was closing the island-resort, I knew he was dead serious and it was done.

After six months, on October 26, 2018, Boracay was again opened to public. Six months after its opening, I was able visit Bora again. Excited and curious, I brought with me my wife and two kids including my brother-in-law and his wife. We joined the Association of Cultural Officers of Isabela (ACOI) and the Association of Tourism Officers of the Philippines (ATOP) Isabela Chapter who were also scheduled to visit the tourism capital of the country. The ACOI and ATOP held a benchmarking activity in one of the world’s best beaches – Boracay. Our Governor supported the out-of-town activity as an incentive for the tourism-cultural officers who were instrumental in the success of the Bambanti Festival, the Hall of Famer in the Aliw Awards and a Guinness World Record holder.

This is also the first time I brought my kids to the Island and everybody was excited to see the new Boracay. Clear, lukewarm waters and quiet stretches of white sand welcomed us. My wife and I instantly noticed the wide area at the beach front between the establishments and the sea. No extensions blocked the walkway and the boundaries of the shops are clearly delineated. Normally, before sunset, people from around the country and from all corners of the globe indulge in merry-making at the beachfront. After the rehab, beachfront dining, fire dancers, bands, drinking exhibitions, vendors, massage beds, tattoo stations, hair-braiding services and other activities can no longer be seen at the beachfront. The island has a slew of new rules that restrict boozing on the beach.

CNN Travel enumerated the new dos and don'ts in Bora: (1) Do show your government-approved hotel reservation when arriving. Travelers need to have booked with an accredited hotel that's had its sewage system signed off by the government. (2) Do observe the correct zones for watersports. Powered watercraft like jetskis are now banished to a zone at least 100 meters offshore. (3) Do get around by e-jeepney. The iconic Philippines' public transport has had a green upgrade, and rides are free until December. (4) Don't party on the beach. Beachside drinking (and the trash it creates) is now banned. (5) Don't bring an umbrella, beach bed or deckchair to the sand. They're all contraband now. (6) Don't bring pets onto the beach. Sorry pooch, no frolicking in the water for you. (7) Don't litter. Police will be handing out hefty penalties to offenders. (8) Don't BBQ on the sand. Grilled meats, including the iconic Philippines ihaw-ihaw skewers, are out. (9) Don't have a firework display after 9 p.m. Pyrotechnic displays are now under strict curfew. (10) Don't use single-use plastics. Plastic cups, cotton buds and the humble plastic straw, pariah of the environment, are now banned. (11) Don't gamble. You'd find it hard to anyway, as casinos have been banned from operating on the island. (12) Don't build an unregulated sandcastle. All sand-based seaside structures are subject to official approval. (13) Don't vomit in public places. Keep it classy (and to yourself), people.

The new rules that ban beachfront dining may affect sales but local entrepreneurs are "innovating," Elena Tioso Brugger, president of the Philippine Chamber of Commerce Boracay, told the news. Some restaurants are offering drinks with sunset views on their second floor, instead of on the beach, she said. The new rules say 19,200 tourists will be allowed on the island at any one time, with the government aiming to enforce that by controlling the number of available hotel rooms. Nearly 400 hotels and restaurants deemed to violate local environmental laws were ordered closed and airlines as well as ferries were told to restrict service to the area. At the time of the opening, the environment, tourism and interior departments accredited at least 157 resorts and hotels to accept tourists.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said she hoped the new Boracay would be the start of a "culture of sustainable tourism" in the Philippines. The Boracay Foundation, the main business industry group on the island, has not commented on the restrictions but welcomed the return of tourists. "Everyone, big and small, has sacrificed a lot during the six-month (closure)," its executive director Pia Miraflores told the news. Tens of thousands of workers were left unemployed when the island's tourism machine was deprived of visitors. "Life will go back to normal. We will have money and work again," said Jorge Flores, a hotel worker. "In the past six months, hotels here were like... a ghost town." 

The island should be a model of sustainable tourism, Romulo-Puyat said, and the rest of the secretaries stated that following the overhaul the famous island could regain its crown as one of the world's best beach resorts. On our part in Isabela province, the lessons learned in Boracay should be the basis to control and sustain the beautiful beaches of coastal Isabela most especially when the road leading to Divilacan and Maconacan coastal towns opens this year. The Boracay visit by the tourism and cultural officers of Isabela was a perfect benchmarking activity for everyone to work hand in hand to maintain the beauty of the countryside and the coastline of eastern Isabela including the Northern Sierra Madre Natural Park.