Overcrowding Boracay

New Year’s Eve celebrations in Boracay turn the beaches into an even bigger party place as resorts try to outdo each other with fireworks and live bands churning out blaring dance music for revelers welcoming 2013. Not that the party scene is new, considering Boracay’s inclusion as one of the Top 10 party beaches around the world, surpassing Spain’s Ibiza and Miami’s South Beach according to a poll conducted by an online international travel site.  In fact, Travel + Leisure magazine named Boracay as the World’s Best Island for 2012, edging out Santorini (Greece) and Bali (Indonesia) for the top honors.

Last October, Boracay received its one-millionth visitor, and there’s every possibility that the island achieved its target of 1.2 million tourists for 2012, with locals accounting for 50 percent followed by South Korean visitors. No question Boracay has emerged as the top tourist destination of the Philippines, and one cannot discount its contribution to the local and national economy. However, the influx of visitors continues to be a major concern for environmental groups who despair at the degradation that has been happening in the past six years. As one local official in Boracay averred, sustainability in terms of infrastructure and waste management is indeed a problem.

A 2006 Supreme Court ruling declared Boracay as state owned until 2016, and last April 2012, the government issued a moratorium on the construction of new buildings in areas classified as forested, warning prospective buyers to secure clearance from the agency to avoid buying property classified as forested which is illegal. Ownership issues have also emerged, and the DENR has yet to finish conducting cadastral surveys to officially determine the ownership of land titles in the island.

However, except for the Boracay West Cove case, no further update has been heard according to Pilipinas Sandiwa Heritage Foundation managing director Ricardo Ramos who has written to President Aquino asking the national leadership to “take over Boracay to save it from perdition” and restore the island to what it was prior to its devolution to the local government.

“The province of Aklan has progressed as can be seen in Kalibo and other towns. However, the inordinate construction of… establishments and the uncontrolled haphazard developments have led to the wanton deterioration of what was once a pristine paradise,” Ramos said, who suggests creating a presidential task force (composed of the DILG, DENR, DOH, DPWH and DOTC) to address problems confronting the Boracay Island Tourist Zone.

In any case, there are three more years before the state’s ownership of Boracay lapses – and the President can make it his lasting legacy to save Boracay from further degeneration by making it his priority to address sustainable development problems that threaten to turn the famed island into just one more overcrowded, overpopulated and polluted beach resort.

Times Square overwhelming security

One of the most anticipated events in the world is the celebration of New Year at New York’s Times Square, with an estimated one million braving the chilly weather to wait for the confetti, the fireworks, the balloons and the famed crystal ball to drop at the strike of midnight – with the main attraction weighing 12,000 pounds and costing an estimated $1 million. Not everyone, however, is aware of the intense preparations that go with the celebrations – from choosing private sponsors and performers to media accreditation, global network coverage (with billions watching all over the world) down to the trial drop for the crystal ball – which actually takes about a whole year to plan, as security in Midtown Manhattan has been heightened many times over ever since the 9/11 attack in 2001 and the botched car bomb attempt at Times Square in May 2010.

Hours before the celebration, FBI agents and police officers closed down several streets and put up security checkpoints, enforcing an alcohol ban and turning away those with large bags and backpacks. Thousands of uniformed policemen and many others in plainclothes mingled with the crowds to make sure that Times Square will indeed be the “safest place in New year” as the police commissioner had boasted.

The “Big Brother” atmosphere was evident with closed circuit TV cameras complementing rooftop sharpshooters and choppers circling overhead to prevent any “surprises.”  Aside from bomb sniffing dogs, security preparations included palm-size radiation detectors for explosives, while another specialized unit conducted a sweep of parks, garages and buildings to look for chemical or biological weapons. In fact, FBI special units have also been closely coordinating with hotel management to prevent terrorists and snipers from checking in hotel rooms. As one described it, the security preparations were very precise and efficient with no room for error.

Despite the uncertainty that Americans feel on account of their economy and the politicking that continues to happen in Washington, many hope that 2013 will augur in a better year – as seen in the turnout for the Times Square celebrations that cost millions of tax dollars to secure.

Spy tidbit

Feisty businessman Bobby Ongpin sent a letter to Senator Joker Arroyo (copy furnishing all the other senators) regarding proposed amendments to the anti money laundering law (AMLA) and how it can be easily abused as gleaned from Ongpin’s experience. The Court of Appeals issued a freeze order on Ongpin’s over 80 bank accounts based on an ex-parte (one-sided) petition from the Anti-Money Laundering Council, despite the fact that Ongpin had not been charged or convicted of any crime.

The ex-parte petition was signed by BSP deputy governor Nestor Espenilla – the same one who stated under oath during the Senate hearings that the DBP loans made to Ongpin and his companies were above board and in fact paid back in full.

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