Some Davao, Samal beach resorts declared ‘unfit for bathing‘

DAVAO CITY — Several beach resorts in Davao City and nearby Samal Island have been found to have undesirable bacteria levels with high total fecal coliform counts and thus, are not safe for bathing.

In a letter to Mayor Rodrigo Duterte, Department of Health Southern Mindanao regional director Paulyn Jean Ubial relayed to him a health advisory indicating the results of a study on the quality of waters in the city and Samal Island with 15 beach resorts as sampling areas.

Ubial, who also heads the Regional Inter-Agency on Environmental Health, noted in the said health advisory that of the 15 sampling areas, only six passed the bacteriological standard for safe bathing.

Of the 15, the waters in the following beach resorts were found to be within the standard for safe bathing — Mergrande Ocean Beach Resort, Seagull Beach Resort, Costa Marina Beach Resort, Bago Beach Resort — all in Davao City, as well as Samal Beach Resort and Bago Beach Resort in Samal Island.

Meanwhile, nine beach resorts, mostly public resorts, were found to contain undesirable bacteria above the standard of 1,000 MPN/100 ml. of total coliform count or 200 MPN/100 ml fecal coliform count, including Kalayaan Beach Resort, Bonguyan Beach Resort, Liberty Beach Resort, Marina Azul 1, Coaco Beach Resort, Felis Beach Resort, Agdao Beach Resort and Bunawan Beach Resort.

Duterte made public yesterday the other day the results of the study by the environmental health committee to caution the public on the fact that there are certain beach resorts in the city and in Samal Island that have waters not safe for bathing.

"I am announcing this at the risk of earning the ire not only of the owners of these beach resorts but also may be of those in the tourism industry. But there is nothing I can do. Everyone should know that I could not risk the health of the people and the environment of the city," Duterte said.

The mayor said the announcement may certainly affect the city’s flourishing tourism industry, given that the area’s beaches have been identified as one of its main come-ons.

"But as I have said before if the tourists would want to come, they can come even if we have the bombings before and now this problem on the unsafe beach waters. We have to face this problem squarely and find solutions to it," Duterte said.