Competing views on Boracay

First things first. In the larger view of reality, there is just no such thing as perfect reality. Both good and bad are always present and we make decisions based on choosing one or the other.

“Boracay is one of those small realities we have to tackle. That has a good and bad side to it. It has been described as a natural beauty, one of the many we have. It became world famous as an island in the Philippines. It has powdery white beaches and see-your-feet-clear water that inspired island cliches. 

It topped the Readers’ Choice Awards list of the best islands in the world.

Unfortunately, the tiny stretch of sand – just under four square miles – is a victim of its own growing popularity. With 2.1 million tourists arriving in 2017 alone (spending more than $1 billion), Boracay now has to contend with environmental degradation, traffic congestion, insufficient solid waste management, illegal construction, property disputes, illegal fishing... to name a few. 

President Rodrigo Duterte called the island a “cesspool.”  The action president said without mincing words “I’ll give you six months,” he told Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu. “Clean the goddamn thing.” 

To return Boracay to its natural beauty, the government has announced an unprecedented six-month closure of the island to begin next month and last through September, though an end date hasn’t yet been confirmed.

You’d think there would be unanimity with such a decision. Imagine my surprise that a prominent columnist, one considered wise objected but he reserved his anger for those who agreed with President Duterte that the island must be saved. It requires a lot of money, plenty of money and two groups that develop such townships  of game and entertainment (gambling is only one attraction).

“I was stunned when he attacked Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) chair Andrea Domingo (and myself, too) for the plan to save Boracay twisting the story instead. He said in “shock” that the agency would approve not one, but two mammoth casinos to operate in Boracay contrary to Duterte’s orders. 

Happily, another prominent columnist defended the good of the Duterte order to save Boracay. I am putting the differing columns side by side for the judgement of readers. 

“It is nearly certain Boracay Island will be shut down probably for six months, maybe for a year. We should cheer instead of procrastinating leadership which would wait until the Boracay becomes hopelessly destroyed.

Three government departments have suggested it. President Rodrigo Duterte has pronounced it. It may be a painful thing to do, but a necessary one. 

Enforcing regulations and dismantling the hundreds of structures that violated those regulations can probably be done without closing down the island. This is what business operators on the island want. 

But what about letting the island heal? This is a paradise exploited to the hilt. The beaches are dirty; the sea is toxic. 

Closing down Boracay should be the start of a cultural revolution. It should signal not only that nature must be respected; the commons must be held sacred.

Filipinos have a weak sense of the commons. This is why our homes are so clean and our streets so filthy. 

We do not respect the public space. We dump trash onto the rivers. We dispose of our garbage by throwing them out to the streets. When there is open land, squatters promptly occupy it. Where there is public space, it is soon stolen.

Boracay is the icon of a weak state and a failed civic culture. 

When it became the tourist draw that it is, the local authorities promptly failed exercising control over their jurisdiction. Illegal structures sprouted. The beach was colonized. No one wanted to pay to be connected to the sewage system.  They flushed their dirty water out to the sea. 

The beach is beautiful but the island is forlorn. It has become a tourist trap. Its sole purpose for being is to separate the tourist from his money. Any sucker who goes to Boracay today volunteers to be shaken down.

As the public sector failed to defend the commons, private enterprise just ran away with the island. Boracay is really the icon of everywhere in this country where the commons were  stripped, the community simply burst unplanned and the environment brutalized with impunity.

Being iconic, this is the place where the line should be drawn. It should be drawn with emphasis. Yes, it should be drawn with impunity.

This is what all our other tourist towns should avoid becoming. Boracay is the place where the standards will be set – and enforced unremittingly. No prisoners must be taken here.

Let the other tourist towns, with all their corrupt officials, sit up and pay heed. What is done in Boracay will send the message: You can be closed down too.

If that message is sent, with the convincing underscoring, we might see regulations finally enforced everywhere. Talk tough; do tough.  Duterte is just the man to do this. 

Now let’s see how the usual obstructionists might try to stop him from protecting the environmental integrity of our tourist towns.

President Rodrigo Duterte has pronounced it. It may be a painful thing to do, but a necessary one. 

Enforcing regulations and dismantling the hundreds of structures that violated those regulations can probably be done without closing down the island. This is what business operators on the island want. 

Another prominent columnist calls Duterte’s move to close  down for rehabilitation as  an comparable to a cultural revolution. 

This congested island imports its water and then flushes waste water to the sea. Little wonder the place has developed a distinct stink. It is only a matter of time that an outbreak of some disease happens here. This is such an unhealthy place.