Guide Questions:

Note: This is a 2 page paper. Please refer to your course outline re format

1. Identify and present the different impacts of the national and local laws and policies on Boracay’s development

2. How Boracay Island does become a victim of its own beauty?

3. In your own point of view how will you reposition to rejuvenate and moved out Boracay Island from its stagnation stage?

Boracay Island:
A Case for Reversing Island Tourism Over-Development to Promote Sustainable Tourism
Introduction
“Hardly has a last paradise been discovered than everyone converges on it so fast that it quickly becomes a paradise lost.” – A quote about Bali
Boracay Island in the province of Aklan, Panay Island, is a boot-shaped island with an area of 1,006.64 hectares (10.0664 sq km). It is an island under the political jurisdiction of the town of Malay, composed of three smaller units of government (called Barangays). It is part of the Visayan group of islands in the Central Philippines.

According to geologists, Boracay’s physical environment comes from the uplifted remnants of an ancient reef platform which covered the shallower areas of Sibuyan Sea. As the uplifting and deposition of calcium carbonate continued, the continental shelves were formed and two islets that used to be separate were joined together, forming the shape of Boracay Island.1 Mangrove systems in the marshlands, tropical trees and plants that are habitats to endemic animal species, rock formations developed from the tides, and coastal and marine environment, comprise a biodiverse eco-system that is characteristic of the Philippine archipelagic and marine systems.

The beaches on the island are laden with talcum-like white sands. The texture of the sands was much finer, more powdery and whiter more than two decades ago. The marine life and flora on the island, including inland marshlands, were very rich up to the early 1980s. The pristine character of the whole island and the unique quality of the sands on its several beaches were the primary motivation for travelers to visit the natural attraction. According to long-time locals and the local indigenous people, the changes on the sands over the years began in the 1980s when tourism developments began to sprout. It was in the 1990s when the character of the general physical make-up and the culture and sub-cultures of the people changed significantly. From then on, urban development became rapid. Every inch of space, from the highest point of the island, the inland waters on the hills and marshlands down to the low tide mark of the sea have been claimed by various individuals and business owners, and eventually corporate developers from the major cities in the country.
Urban development on Boracay Island became the priority for tourism for the past two decades which placed the Island on the list of the world’s top tourism destinations. The original motivation for travelers to come to the island – the white powder beaches, rich marine life and the serenity of the island – has been relegated to the sidelines in the planning process. In the meanwhile, tourism industry in the country was boosted significantly as Boracay became a brand – the best white sand beaches with the amenities and activities of a developed city.
The Boracay experience is a case study for the ecotourism industry. On the aspect of ecology, with all the tourism developments existing on the island, and still counting, the natural contour and physical attributes of the island are experiencing stress. Boracay being the jewel island of Philippine tourism is rapidly depleting its resources to cater to more and more commercial tourist needs.
The Boracay experience can also be considered a social experiment because a society and culture of various nationalities in a small island setting is evolving – a community of members who contribute their own cultures into a new society that is unique to Boracay. About 25,000 residents are estimated to be residing on the island – a mixture of local Aklanon, and the Filipino and non-Filipino expatriates – who have all become stewards of the island in their own right.
There is a new opportunity to reflect on what Boracay used to be – nature and environment at its best – and move forward to re-branding the island as a world-class ecotourism destination and a home to the new stewards of the island, leaving a natural legacy for the future generations to cherish. The challenge for Boracay is this: Can a rapid and unregulated urban tourism development project that went wrong have the chance to reverse it through a united island community and through the power of nature’s healing hands?

Impact of the national and local laws and policies on Boracay’s development
In 1978, Boracay Island was one of the islands in the Philippines declared as “tourist zones and marine reserves”.2 Any development projects or construction for any purpose were not allowed without the

approval of the Philippine President. The then Philippine Tourism Authority (PTA) was tasked to delineate well defined geographic areas within the zone with potential tourism value, promulgate rules and regulations, and coordinate the integrated development of these areas for the optimum use of natural assets and attractions as well as existing facilities.3
A 1981 proclamation would further place Boracay Island under the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) System having been declared a tourist zone in 1978. The fact that most parts of the island are unclassified land, meaning that most of these lands are still considered forest land, makes any development or construction project on the island an environmentally critical project.4 This implies that all projects within the zone were to undergo EIA.
With the increase in number of tourists came a corresponding increase in development. PTA spearheaded the construction of the main road plying through the middle of the island, from North to South, followed by the sewerage system. Source of water was still ground water until the 90s. Public transportation on the island has not been developed until the roads main road was completed.
Up until the late 90s, coming to Boracay was only via land transfer from Iloilo City, which had an airport then five hours away from the jump-off point to the Island. Boracay can also be reached by land from Kalibo (2 hours away) which had a pier for boats coming from Manila. A few pump boats, mostly fishing boats which doubled as passenger boats, carried passengers from Caticlan to the Island. The boat trip took about five to ten minutes, depending on the weather. Passengers would be brought directly to the long White Beach boat stations.
According to locals, tourist arrivals in the 70s and 80s increased because of foreign expat travelers visiting the place from other Southeast Asian countries. One theory they attribute this increased popularity to was the filming in 1970 on Boracay Island of the movie “Too Late The Hero” starring Michael Caine, set in the last months of World War II. Another theory was the publication of a German travel writer’s account of his visit to the island in the 80s, which encouraged European backpackers to trek this Philippine paradise island.
However, regardless of the reasons for the rising number of tourist arrivals, the President subsequently recognized the increasing number of tourists visiting Boracay Island.5 With this came the need to prevent the proliferation of activities that would degrade the ecosystem and destroy the natural

attractions of the Island. In 1983, The Mayor of Malay was also mandated to suspend the issuance of building permits for any structure on the Island until the Philippine Tourism Authority would promulgate a development plan.6 Apparently, the construction of more buildings became more rampant despite this directive from the President. Diving and other leisure activities were also introduced within this decade, encouraging more people to visit the island. Despite the inconvenience of traveling to the island at that time, and electricity and fresh water were still non-existent, the island was placed as one of the best beaches in the tourism map by backpacker Europeans.
In 1986, a new Philippine government was installed after toppling a 20-year dictatorship. The main agenda of this new government were to re-establish democracy, agrarian reform rights and eradicating traces of the previous administration. Tourism for the country at that time was already on its ripe enviable stage in the Southeast Asian region. However, the close friends of the previous President were made to own islands that enriched them more while the dictatorship was still in place, without any direction from the government’s tourism department.7 The peace and order situation in the country and the unstable political situation in the Philippines during the period of transition were contributing factors to how tourism planning and direction have not been institutionalized.8
In the meantime, the degradation of the resources of the country has been continuing. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources initiated the drafting of the Philippine Strategy for Sustainable Development in 1987.9 The strategy aimed to address specifically the adverse impact of growth and development, and the depletion and degradation of natural resources due mainly to misuse and over exploitation. The sectors identified, however, did not include the tourism industry. Nevertheless, the tourism sector, through the Department of Tourism, recognized the impact of the tourism industry on Boracay Island and its marine and coastal environments, and the socio-cultural development of its people.
In 1990, the Department of Tourism developed the Boracay Island Development Master Plan (BIDMP) to address the calls to create a master plan for the sustainable development of the island. The BIDMP dealt with tourism development policies aimed at promoting development of the island while ensuring the protection and nurturing of the natural environment, maximizing the participation of and collaboration with the private sector in planning. Development guidelines for the management and regulation of the island as a whole were formulated for these objectives while taking into consideration the conservation of the natural environment. Unfortunately, the BIDMP was not implemented and is left as an archive document in the DOT’s library. This situation was brought about by the devolution of the powers of the DOT to the various local government units (LGUs). In Boracay, these units are the Province of Aklan, the Municipality of Malay, and the Barangays of Yapak, Balabag and ManocManoc. The law that gave powers to the LGUs in 1991 was the basis for staking claim for local governance of tourism projects in the Philippines, including the island of Boracay.10
The power struggle for control over the tourist island became stronger. While local government units claimed the right to manage the island on different levels, unabated and unregulated activities on the island continuously caused stress on the resources of the island. According to a former member of the

Philippine Tourism Authority, “Ramshackle lean-tos built helter-skelter by foreigners and their native cohorts dotted the landscape. Worse, the Local Government Code, enacted in the early 90’s as landmark legislation providing decentralization of central government authority, left the matter of tourism estate planning and implementation largely in the hands of local governments, with nothing else but inutile support from the DOT. Boracay was left to the tender mercies of LGU officials who had absolutely no idea about environmental safeguards or carrying capacity.”11
President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo reinforced the 1970s policy of placing the management of Boracay Island under the Philippine Tourism Authority through a newly created group called the Eminent Persons Group-Boracay.12 The group shall be composed of various representatives from national government agencies and local residents, which ideally would have encouraged local participation in the management of the island. The focus on infrastructure development, such as road expansions and construction of new roads,13 improvement and expansion of potable water systems,14 improvement on the sewage services,15 created significant changes on the trend of tourism development on the island. With the existing hundreds of tourist establishments and thousands of households, these upgrades would surely entice more tourist operators to invest on the island.
In a subsequent Order,16 President Arroyo reiterated the PTA’s control over the island including the authority to suspend the issuance of building permits in collaboration with the Malay Mayor, and upon approval by the Secretary of Tourism and Aklan Governor. Although this seemed like a new mandate, it was simply a reiteration of the instructions given to the PTA and the Mayor or Malay in 1983. The only difference was the addition of a bureaucratic process of including the Tourism Secretary and the Provincial Governor for approval before any suspension could be implemented. This Order did not achieve its objective. According to the locals, the suspension only lasted for six months. Prior to the suspension, permits for substantial developments were already issued, and the continuing development could not have been stopped.

A Proclamation by President Arroyo caused confusion among the stakeholders on the island, particularly those who are land claimants.17 In this Proclamation, the President classified Boracay Island into 400 hectares of reserved forest land for protection purposes and 628.96 hectares of agricultural land (alienable and disposable). Under the same Proclamation, a proviso for a 15-meter buffer zone on each side of the centerline of roads and trails, reserved for right-of-way and which shall form part of the area reserved for forest land protection purposes, was also mandated. The right of the President to classify lands in Boracay Island was further affirmed by a Supreme Court decision in 2008.18 As a consequence of the proclamation and the Supreme Court decision, a comprehensive land use plan for Boracay Island was initiated by the Department of Tourism, setting the limits on developments on the island.19 Resulting from these legal developments on its land status, Boracay Island is not just a tourist zone; it is now also made up of lands classified as either forestland for protection purposes and agricultural land, the parcels of which are alienable and disposable.20 To mitigate the impact on the “land crisis” involving business owners operating within the 400 hectare declared forestlands, the DENR came up with the Forest Land Use Agreement for Tourism Purposes (FLAgT).21 This, however, is still not being implemented due to the opposition of the stakeholders who are advocating for land titles to complete their full ownership of the land, despite the ruling of the Supreme Court confirming the Proclamation.22

Another offshoot of the Proclamation 1084 is the Boracay Environmental Master Plan, covering the period 2008-2033. This Plan provides for the island’s development directions, strategies and specific programs and projects that would address the identified environmental concerns. 23 This 25-year master plan was drafted by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. The Plan proposes the formation of the Multi-Sectoral Planning Team24, and a Multi-Sectoral Monitoring and Evaluation Team.25 The CLUP that the Department of Tourism is already a document that addresses the proposal of the Plan to develop a land use plan for the island. Enforcement and implementation mechanisms are still yet to be developed by the planning team.
The legal policies and mandates vested in various government units and national agencies have complicated the management process of Boracay Island as a tourism zone and at the same time a forest and agricultural land. A saving grace to this decades-long dilemma could be the newly enacted Tourism Act of 2009.26 The discussion of the provisions of the new law shall be included in the latter part of this paper.

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