DENR, local execs vow to protect Boracay

MANILA, Philippines—Environment and local officials on Friday vowed to keep Boracay on the top of the country’s list of most attractive destinations amid competition from other destinations.
Environment Secretary Ramon Paje and Boracay Mayor John Yap said measures have been put in place to keep the resort-island’s beachfront clean and litter-free.
“We will never allow Boracay to fall. We will never allow Boracay to be dirty,” Paje said in a media interview.
Paje said Boracay officials and establishments should make sure that the island’s fine powdery white sand stays pristine.
Local officials should also guarantee that garbage and sewerage are disposed of properly and developments should be environmentally sustainable, Paje said.
“We are encouraging tourism. We have to put sustainable measures that will not destroy the environment,” he said.
Paje noted that Boracay still has the capacity to handle more tourists. He said the beach destination could still double the 800,000 tourists it attracts every year.
“We are still small compared to Phuket and Malaysia,” he said.
Recently, Boracay banned smoking on the beaches and instituted an anti-litter campaign. “We have to maintain the beachfront because that is the main attraction,” he said.
Yap also noted that the island will launch a massive greening project. According to the town mayor, each of the 4,000 grade school students of the island will plant seedlings. This is part of the government’s national greening program, he said.