Tuesday, August 7, 2007

Jewel of the Philippines

Appointed Environment secretary Lito Atienza called for a moratorium on development projects in Boracay Island, a paradise beach resort in Visayas island Philippines, for a time-bound environmental protection master plan for the island.

Paradise Boracay has recorded an increase of 554,181 tourist arrivals last year, a 10.96 percent higher than the previous year. The increase in the number of tourists visiting Boracay had resulted to overcrowding and unhindered construction of buildings, which had caused problems in garbage disposals and flooding.

As the Department of Tourism named Boracay as the Jewel of the Philippines and the pride of the Philippines initiative to boom its tourism, many raised concerns on the contamination of the beach clear swimming water with high levels of coliform caused by inadequate sewage.

The government has yet to come up with the environmental master plan. In 1997, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has already revealed a high level of contamination in the waters of Boracay due to poor sewage facilities.

Tourists believed that if the government, resort owners and residents will not take serious actions about the problem, it is not impossible that paradise Boracay in Philippines will be no longer listed as one of the best beaches in the Philippines and in the whole world.

Let's not make this happen to the place we call paradise!

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