Life goes on

Newly appointed Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Roy Cimatu recently issued a final warning against the municipal government of Malay in Aklan for its failure to address the worsening garbage problem in Boracay Island. Taking this tough stand, Cimatu was apparently hoping the local government will address the worsening garbage situation on the island which is becoming a major public health and environmental concern in the country’s most popular tourist destination.

The DENR Secretary expressed alarm that garbage remains a major challenge in this island resort. “And the challenge becomes more daunting with the increasing number of tourists coming,” Cimatu was quoted saying. Known for less talk and more on action, Cimatu made it clear to Malay local government officials who willfully ignored his final warning – the DENR will initiate charges against them for violation of Republic Act (RA) 9003, or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000.

RA 9003 specifically mandates all, especially the local government units, to adopt a systematic, comprehensive and ecological solid waste management program that would ensure the protection of public health and environment under their respective jurisdictions.

In an official statement issued by his office, Malay Mayor Ceciron Cawaling reported they are already complying with Cimatu’s directive. The Office of the Mayor reported to Cimatu they would be able to completely remove the garbage dumped in Barangay Manoc-Manoc by Monday or on July 17, 2017.

The Mayor’s swift response came after Cimatu visited the island two weeks ago. As gathered by witnesses, Cimatu personally went to see Cawaling and sternly reminded the local official of his mandate under RA 9003.

We are happy that this problem with the garbage disposal in Boracay will be solved already. However, there is another brewing problem that the DENR Secretary must address sooner than later. We were informed that squatting syndicates have “invaded” Boracay.

These squatters are actually big time “illegal settlers,” if one wants to be polite about it. They have been occupying many government properties, including forestlands in the island. Despite official notices from concerned government agencies, including the DENR, they have allegedly refused to stop their illegal occupation of these state-owned prime properties.

If Cimatu cannot stop these squatting syndicates from illegally occupying forestlands – which are under the jurisdiction of the DENR – it would be a big setback for government in promoting Boracay as a premier tourism destination.

Just like what he did in the garbage problem, Cimatu should act on this soonest as tourist arrivals in the island continues to peak. Based on Department of Tourism (DOT) data, the total number of tourist arrivals in Boracay in 2016 was around 1.7 million around 250,000 more than in 2015.

According to the DOT, Tourism growth is expected to continue in the coming years as more flights and facilities are established in Boracay. A number of local and international corporations have invested in tourism-related businesses in Boracay.

Sadly, further development plans for Boracay will only benefit these professional squatting syndicates.

Their modus operandi is basically the same as the squatting syndicates in Metro Manila. First, they occupy a government property. Then, they build their shanties illegally and without permission. Third, they fence off the property to prevent the real owners or government from entering the property. In certain areas, these squatters even post armed men to scare the real owners.

A case in point was recently uncovered by the local DENR head office which found the unsolved complaint against an illegal settler group that has been occupying forestland areas in Malay. After receiving several complaints from local residents as early as 2016, the DENR Region 6 office inspected the occupied areas. After a thorough check, the office confirmed the illegal occupation of the classified forestland areas in violation of the law.

Subsequently, the DENR Region 6 office issued an order, directing this group to vacate the forestland areas in 2016. Guess what?

As of this writing, or nearly a year after the DENR Region 6 order was served, this illegal settler group not only defied the order but continues to occupy the forested areas up to now. Worse, this group is flouting their connections with some unscrupulous officials in the provincial and municipal environment offices of the DENR.

Knowing Cimatu, he will not let this happen.  As a former Armed Forces Chief of Staff, he is aware what local gangsters do when they grab and take over forestlands and protected areas. But now as chief protector of our country’s environment, he is, in fact, more powerful to protect Boracay from such kinds of characters illegally taking advantage of its natural beauty for personal benefits.

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Like the proverbial “the show must go on” despite personal tragedies that artists in the entertainment industry observe, we in media also abide by the same code of profession. While we pause for a while to mourn for the loss of a loved one, we plod on to pursue our job as soon as we recover from temporary shock.

I lost my 79-year old mother last Monday noon. She succumbed from varied complications of the diabetes she bravely battled for almost 17 years. She would have turned octagenarian on August 27, a birth date she proudly shared with her movie idol, Amalia Fuentes.

But the latest thing she was proud of was when she learned I won three weeks ago the 2016-2017 Rotary Club of Manila (RCM) Journalism Award as Female Columnist of the Year. One of the first to grieve with me upon learning the demise of my mother is newly installed RCM president Jose Jaime “Jimmy” Policarpio who knew very well my mother years back when he was still at the Senate while I was still pounding the beat.

And our family is thankful to our boss at The Philippine STAR Miguel Belmonte and our Editor-in-Chief Ana Marie Pamintuan and to all relatives and friends who join us in our hours of bereavement.

As we siblings have learned from our departed mother, we must not stop at successes much less by setbacks as life goes on with its ups and downs.