Boracay — ‘special purpose territory’

The job of clearing and cleaning up Boracay Island is not even half done. Yes, the world famous beach of Boracay is a 100 times better, cleaner and the maddening crowds are not as bad as they used to be. But as I mentioned in previous articles, there remains a ton of work to be done before anyone in government can say: “Mission accomplished.” Many of the demolished areas look exactly like you would expect a demolition site would be, garbage collection and disposal is still a major problem, transportation and price regulation is still a headache for many, and the recent typhoon was a sobering reminder that it’s too early to celebrate because one lesson from Typhoon Ursula is that Boracay is not ”typhoon ready.” The challenge is how to do it all knowing time is running out on the Duterte administration and given the fact that the DENR, DOT, and DILG all have a long list of priority projects or concerns that got sidetracked because of the president’s priorities.

DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu recently visited Boracay to personally see what has been reported in the news as well as from travelers. According to my sources, the ever vigilant “Godfather” of Boracay was both pleased and upset at what he saw and heard. The first “bad sign” was the disappearance of the “Welcome to Boracay” sign that was either taken down or blown off during the typhoon. After that, Sec. Roy asked to see the things a certain columnist had been “complaining about” concerning the garbage piles and the transport problem, so he could act on them.  Fortunately, the garbage had all been collected according to Usec. Benny Antiporda after he raised hell at the contractor and collectors a few days before the ocular visit of Sec. Cimatu. But even though the garbage had been collected, Secretary Cimatu was not spared from the lamentations of many business owners whom Sec. Roy met. I heard that a leader of the local Boracay Chamber of Commerce pointed out that in the 15-year existence of the Chamber, the current garbage issue is at its worst. The biggest complaint was the announcement that local businesses will have to pay P10 for every kilo of trash collected! But when asked, the ECOS representative claimed that they were only charging P6 per kilo. Apparently someone had added P4. It does not stop there. When Secretary Cimatu, checked on the problem of transportation and tricycles, he found out that the trikes were limited to a very small location, no facilities for customers and drivers and that the drivers were paying to be in line. Why does that not surprise us? It’s a racket that exists wherever there is a local government!

At the moment, there is supposed to be a female “General Manager” of sorts reportedly appointed or designated by DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu. I can’t judge how effective she has been, given that I have not met her or seen her work. However, I have to point out that during our stay which was right after Typhoon Ursula had ripped through the island, I was told that the Lady GM was away for the Christmas holidays. That of course is normal among government employees, but given the nature of her area of responsibility, her absence or “holiday leave” was a bad idea.

Not many people realize it but if you work in the service industry, meaning hotels and resorts as well as food and beverage outlets, Christmas, New Year, Valentines, Easter/Holy Week are some of the holidays when all leaves are cancelled, similar to the police and the military. Having built two resorts in Northern Palawan and run them during their start up, I can tell you that the Yuletide and New Year season is “Luhaan season” for many workers who can’t or won’t be allowed to go home because of the volume of customers. It would be tantamount to abandoning your post, regardless of the fact that you asked permission. Needless to say, I was shocked that Boracay’s “government GM” or OIC was reportedly not on the beach or on the ground.

The way I see it, in order for business in, and environment of Boracay to succeed, what Secretary Cimatu might consider doing is to recommend to President Duterte to ask Congress to declare Boracay Island as a Special Purpose Territory under the national government, create an independent professional management authority with police powers to oversee the day to day issues on the island and fund it with money from all the multi-layers of taxes collected from tourists and business establishments whose business is directly connected to Boracay. By doing this, it becomes like a mini Hong Kong or Singapore, run by professionals, business owners, national government officials such as Usecs from DENR, DOT, DILG and where the local government retains a vote/seat to represent tax concerns and the likes but not dipping fingers in every pie. If designed and done properly such an independent group could carry on with President Duterte’s vision of restoring and managing Boracay as the country’s premiere example of an internationally admired tourism destination. Yes, such an idea presents issues and complications, but we all have to realize that BORACAY is loved by the world and belongs to the world and we Filipinos are blessed to be its caretaker which is why we need to nurture it. Boracay needs to be protected and declaring it as a special purpose territory is the best way. In the meantime, let’s all thank Secretary Roy Cimatu for his vigilance!

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