Boracay biz owners frown requirements for sewerage sewerage plants

ILOILO CITY — Several business operators on Boracay Island object to another order by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) requiring even small establishments to put up of sewerage treatment plants (STPs).

DENR Memorandum Order No 2018-72 dated Sept. 10 was issued as a clarificatory guideline to the putting up of STPs. But several business owners pointed out that the order imposed additional requirements, especially to small establishments.

“The clarifications of the DENR regarding STPs is quite confusing and not clear at all. As everything that the (Boracay Interagency Task Force) is doing, it is quite botched, amateurish… One can see that not a lot of thought went into these memorandum with new guidelines,” a longtime business operator and resident said.

The business owner spoke to the Inquirer on condition of anonymity as their business was still undergoing evaluation.

The owner said STPs would be a reasonable requirement only for big resorts and hotels.

“It is not under-standable why so many smaller resorts and hotels need to have STPs, particularly that a well-functioning (centralized) sewage pipe system and treatment plant are existing,” the owner said. “Either this is super amateurish or there must be other reasons, unknown to us commoners.”

Under the memorandum, all business establishments along the long beach with 50 rooms or more are required to put an STP by October 26 as a precondition to operate.