The clean-up begins

Who needs Boracay? This was the statement by DOT Sec. Puyat, as tourist arrivals in the country reached more than seven million in 2018, mostly from Korea and China. Boracay was closed for six months last year to give way for its rehabilitation. The island reopened just last October. It is true that Boracay is not the only tourist destination in the Philippines. There are many more sights and places to visit. But now that the island paradise is open, we hope for even more tourists to come, despite the “no party place” rule now imposed by the DOT. Not all tourists want to party the night away.

All the more reason to really clean up Manila Bay. I doubt if a tourist walking along the bay would want the stench wafting through his nose. The official campaign to clean it up began yesterday. President Duterte has approved a budget almost P43 billion in three years. The informal settlers who live around Manila Bay will also be relocated. That I would really like to see, if the government can really get it done. The DENR will also release a list of establishments that pollute Manila Bay. Duterte had threatened hotels that if they did not “shape up” and install water treatment systems, he would shut them down. After what happened to Boracay, I guess he means it. I would like to know if any of the hotels are really adding to the pollution of Manila Bay.

The task of the DENR is not an easy one. It is not a small canal that only needs its garbage taken out. Aside from the tons of garbage, the DENR intends to reduce the coliform level both in the bay and the inlet canals. Coliform levels are measured to determine the amount of waste in the water. A high coliform level was the basis for the closure of Boracay. Manila Bay’s coliform level was always high. Makes you wonder just how developed the immune system of the children who actually swim there are. I dare not think what would happen if they accidentally ingest the water.

Many are expecting results from this campaign. There are skeptics, of course, mainly because of those who continue to use the bay as their dumping site, for both garbage and human waste. Aside from physically cleaning up the bay, education and information are also helpful. And if that fails, then Duterte can always do what he’s very good at. Threaten. I do hope the incident where medical waste washed up on the waters off Lapu-Lapu City is being investigated and addressed.

The dumping of hospital waste is too big an offense to ignore. The waste may contain dangerous contaminants that have to be properly disposed. Again, the country’s oceans should not be treated as dump sites, no matter what the garbage. Perhaps the waters of Cebu should also undergo a massive cleanup, especially after an incident like this.