Philippines joins first G20 tourism meet

MANILA, Philippines — Taking pride in accomplishing the six-month rehabilitation of the world famous Boracay Island, the Philippines joins the first G20 Tourism Ministerial Meeting in Hokkaido that gathers the world’s top economies to tackle tourism development, the Department of Tourism (DOT) reported yesterday.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat will lead the country’s delegation to the G20 conference in Japan.

The G20 comprises Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, German, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States and the European Union, it added.

DOT was inspired by the Boracay model and had prioritized the enforcement of environmental laws in tourist destinations like the Cordilleras, El Nido in Palawan, Bohol and Siargao, Puyat said.

She said the DOT would update and promote green standards as credit and rate the tourism enterprises.

The DOT would also develop new training modules to direct the whole tourism industry to embrace sustainable tourism values.

President Duterte ordered the closure of Boracay, known worldwide for its powdery white sand and crystal-clear waters, from April to October last year after he called the island a “cesspool” due to the untreated sewage dumped in the waters surrounding the island.

Puyat said the department would also use the P25-billion Boracay Action Plan fund for the continuous rehabilitation of the island and development of the region’s sustainable tourism program.

The first G20 Tourism Ministerial Meeting aims to encourage responsible tourism in line with realizing the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) yesterday said the municipal government of Malay has resumed the demolition of illegal structures in Boracay after the temporary restraining order (TRO) issued by a local court had lapsed.

Last Oct. 15, the Aklan Regional Trial Court (RTC) Branch 7 issued a 20-day TRO stopping the demolition of 10 residential and commercial buildings that were violating the 25+5 meter easement rule. The TRO expired on Nov. 4.

Malay acting Mayor Frolibar Bautista issued Executive Order No. 038, s. 2019 on Nov. 6 directing all concerned personnel to resume the demolition, stating that “due to the expiration of the effectivity of the TRO… there is no further cause restraining the local government unit from implementing the demolition orders issued by former mayor Abram Sualog.”

A team from the municipal government started dismantling illegal structures built within the 25+5 meter shoreline easement in Bulabog Beach.

DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu, who co-chairs the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) with Puyat and Interior Secretary Eduardo Año, said the rehabilitation of Boracay requires the clearing of all obstructions for the widening and improvement of the island’s circumferential road.

A vital component of Boracay’s rehabilitation is the widening and improvement of the circumferential road, which is a three-phase project of the Department of Public Works and Highways intended to decongest road traffic, provide walkways for tourists and locals and make all roads passable for all types of emergency and logistic vehicles.

Owners of the 10 erring establishments along Bulabog Beach have filed a petition for preliminary injunction with the Aklan RTC against a demolition order dated March 25, 2019 and other related orders issued by the municipal government of Malay.

The establishments include the Aira Beachfront Boracay Hotel, Ventoso Residences, Freestyle Academy Kite Surfing School, Kite Center at Banana Bay, Wind Riders Inn, Pahuwayan Suites, Lumbung Residences, Boracay Gems and Units 101 and 107 of Seven Stones Boracay Suites.

Since April 2018 when the Boracay rehabilitation started and the island was closed for six months, hundreds of resorts and other commercial establishments have been made to comply with various environmental laws, including removing structures built on beach and road easements and requiring those with at least 40 rooms to have their own sewage treatment facilities.

According to Natividad Bernardino, general manager of the Boracay Inter-Agency Rehabilitation Management Group, around 80 percent of the more than 300 commercial establishments on the beach are now compliant after having demolished portions of their buildings that encroach on the easement.