Senator Cynthia Villar, chairman of the Senate environment committee, yesterday assured the public there will be no sacred cows in the plan to demolish establishments in Boracay Island which were found to have violated environmental laws.
“That can no longer happen because the President has strict orders to the Department of Environment and Natural Resources,” Villar said in a radio interview on Sunday.
Villar earlier led an ocular inspection and a public hearing on the current condition of one of the world’s most beautiful beaches.
One of the establishments that the provincial government accused of occupying a wetland, D’Mall, said it has always complied with all government permit requirements, including securing an environmental compliance certificate from the DENR Region VI in November 2014.
“Aside from that, D’Mall has always complied with solid waste management regulations including daily garbage segregation and has been connected to the island sewer system since day one. D’Mall has also provided a drainage system throughout its complex, and more than a year ago started the planning and construction of an STP [sewerage treatment plant], which will be operational soon and will enhance its waste management and environmental protection,” it said in a statement on Sunday.
President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered the DENR, as well as the interior and tourism departments, to solve Boracay’s environmental problems as he threatened to close the resort island if these agencies fail to clean the tourist hot spot within 60 days.
Villar reiterated her appeal to Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu that instead of shutting down the entire island, only establishments with violations would be closed during the planned 60-day rehabilitation period.
The two-month plan will be presented to President Rodrigo Duterte in a Cabinet meeting today (Monday).
“How can we implement compliance when establishments which were compliant will also be closed? So we requested that only those that are non-compliant will be closed until they comply with the regulations,” she said.
For her part, Senator Loren Legarda said the main problem in Boracay Island is the weak enforcement of environmental laws.
“If we simply comply with environmental laws, especially the Clean Water Act, Clean Air Act, and the Ecological Solid Waste Management [ESWM] Law, we would not have to be here,” Legarda said.
“We are all in this together. The problem in Boracay is also the problem of many eco-tourism areas and other communities in the country, which is why the government must strictly enforce environmental laws, while residents and business establishments should also comply with our laws,” added Legarda, who is the vice chairperson of the Senate environment committee.
The senator said the island must have sewerage and septage systems as she cited figures from the DENR that around 17.5 million liters of wastewater is generated in Boracay island every day and only about half of which is treated properly, while the other half is discharged untreated.
About 30 to 40 percent of the untreated wastewater comes from private homes, and the rest from business establishments, Legarda said.
