STILL OPEN. The Sumilon Bluewater Resort on Sumilon Island in Oslob town, south Cebu remains open to the public. Only the sandbar and the dive site were closed by the local government of Oslob for rehabilitation and clean-up.
CDN PHOTO/TONEE DESPOJO
Visayas remains safe but hotels, resorts may not have enough rooms for influx of tourists; DOT to local officials: Learn from Boracay
One island’s loss is another island’s gain.
The six-month closure of the renowned island-resort of Boracay in Aklan starting on April 26 means an increase in the number of tourist arrivals on the island-province of Cebu that also offers pristine white sand beaches and social entertainment.
“Cebu offers more destinations and activities than Boracay,” said Cebu Vice Gov. Agnes Magpale, head of the province’s committee on tourism and heritage affairs.
She cited the beaches of Santa Fe town on Bantayan Island and Malapascua Island in the north and the whaleshark watching in Oslob town in the south as well as the five-star resorts on Mactan Island.
While Cebu has the destinations, the question remains: Does Cebu have the infrastructure in place to accommodate the influx of tourists and the policies in place to protect the environment?
Describing the country’s premier tourism destination as a “cesspool,” President Duterte ordered a six-month closure of all tourism activities in Boracay to allow the rehabilitation of the 1,032-hectare island that suffered from a host of environmental problems including inadequate sewage facilities.
To prevent the tourists from going to other tourism destinations especially in nearby Southeast Asia, Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo instructed the regional directors of the Department of Tourism (DOT) to come up with promotion plans on alternative tourist sites in the country.
“We were asked to submit destinations and emerging ones. Cebu and Bohol were identified as alternatives,” said Shalimar Tamano, DOT-Central Visayas director.
Tamano expressed confidence that Cebu could accommodate the tourists with the scheduled opening of Terminal 2 of the Mactan Cebu International Airport in June.
The Panglao International Airport in Bohol province is also expected to start commercial operations in August, based on a statement issued by the Department of Transportation.
But Joselito “Boboi” Costas, Cebu provincial tourism officer, expressed concern on the availability of enough rooms to accommodate the volume of tourists who would stay in Cebu.
Costas’ concern was not without basis.
Carlo Suarez, president of the Hotels, Resorts, Restaurants Association of Cebu (HRRAC), earlier said hotels and resorts were already enjoying a 70-percent occupancy in their properties even without the closure of Boracay.
“With this development, we would expect more (arrivals),” he said.
While it would be a challenge for hotels and resorts in Cebu to accommodate the outflow of tourists, Suarez said it would also be an opportunity for other destinations to be explored.
Alice Queblatin, president of the Cebu Association of Tour Operation Specialists (CATOS), has also said resorts in both Cebu and Bohol were almost fully booked for the peak months of April and May.
“The inevitable has happened and the whole industry, including Cebu stakeholders, are concerned on how to deal with clients who have to rebook accommodation on other island destinations,” she said.
Tamano said Boracay’s sewage and pollution issues should serve as lessons for Cebu and Bohol.
“What happened to Boracay is saving all of us (tourist destinations in the Philippines),” said Tamano.
Addressing concerns that Cebu and Bohol may turn out like Boracay, Tamano, who took over as DOT-Central Visayas director only in January, said the agency had been working closely with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) in inspecting hotels and resorts in the two provinces.
The DENR-7 earlier said that more than 90 resorts in Central Visayas were found to have violated coastal easement regulations. Of the number, six were reportedly located on Mactan Island.
But last March, DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu gave six months to the 87 establishments on Panglao Island, Bohol, to remove the illegal structures found within the 20-meter easement zone following an inspection.
The Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the DENR-7 had also identified 344 establishments on Panglao, crown jewel of Bohol’s tourism, without valid discharge permits.
Suarez of HRRAC said they were closely working with the DENR and the Lapu-Lapu City Government to monitor properties in Mactan for compliance.
But he said not a single establishment had been issued notices of violation.
“The resorts are highly encouraged to use this time to correct some measures as the findings by the DENR are given to the resorts immediately. With the growing tourism of Cebu, safety and security of local and foreign guests are essential,” he said.
William Cuñado, EMB director for Central Visayas, warned establishments that they would be fined P10,000 per day and eventually be closed if they continued to violate environmental laws.
Tamano said there is nothing wrong with local government units giving stern warning to close down those establishments that violated environmental laws.
He supported the move of Santa Fe Mayor Jose Esgana who warned the establishments that they would be shut down if the properties remained dirty.
Santa Fe is one of the three towns on Bantayan Island, known for its pristine white sand beaches. The other two towns are Bantayan and Madridejos.
Vice Governor Magpale also lauded the initiative of local officials in Oslob town to implement proactive measures and efforts to rehabilitate the popular Sumilon Island. (Related story on page 2)
“I suppose all other local executives are now in alert mode. What happened to Boracay is a wake-up call,” she said.
Lt. Gen. Paul Atal, commander of the Cebu-based Armed Forces of the Philippines – Central Command (AFP-Centcom), assured that the entire Visayas is a safe place for residents and tourists.
Speaking to reporters after the ceremony of the 76th anniversary of the Araw ng Kagitingan at Plaza Independencia on Monday, Atal said that the simulation exercises done in Oslob town last April 7 was just one of the measures to ensure that the region remains safe.
“Even the foreigners told us after our simulation exercises in Oslob that they feel secure with our presence,” said Atal.
He added there was no need to limit the number of tourists visiting Cebu to curb security threats once the six-month closure of Boracay Island would take effect on April 26.
“There’s no need to do that because we are already anticipating the planned closure of Boracay. It is expected that visitors will shift to other tourist attractions. We have anticipated that and we are addressing it the best way we can,” he said.
In light of what happened to Boracay, the DOT-7 is looking at crafting a region-wide policy on cleanliness.
“It will be helpful for other regions and provinces (to learn the mistakes of Boracay Island). We are given grace period to fix our violations if there are any,” Tamano said.