OFFICIALS from the Office of Cabinet Secretary Leonicio Evasco Jr. will be visiting Bantayan Island next month to assess the island’s need for a development masterplan amid the growing tourism-related development in the area.
Provincial Board (PB) Member Horacio Franco of Cebu’s fourth district said he invited the office of Evasco Jr. to conduct a thorough study on the island to ensure that its environment will stay protected even as the number of resorts and other tourist facilities on Bantayan are growing.
“Some of the directors mo adto didto (will go there) to do an initial assessment of the island. Akong gipangayo kay ang (What I am asking for is a) masterplan,” he said.
Bantayan Island, which is located in the northern tip of Cebu or about 146.2 kilometers from Cebu City, is composed of three municipalities: Santa Fe, Madridejos and Bantayan.
The island is famous for its white sand beaches and crystal clear sea water.
Franco said he was asking for a master plan that will include an assessment and recommendation of the island’s solid waste management, water and power supplies, and infrastructure, such as roads, that would help its tourism.
“I want to find where we can spur growth in tourism on the island,” he said.
As for solid waste management, Franco said they needed Evasco’s office advise to properly address the garbage issue on the island.
“As of now, wala pay klarong place ibutang ang basura (there is no identified place where we can dump our garbage). They suggested a modern landfill,” he said.
The last thing that they would want to happen would be for Bantayan’s garbage to end up in the sea, said Franco, as it would only “kill the island and tourism.”
“We need a plan that is sustainable,” he added.
Santa Fe Mayor Jose Esgana, on the other hand, said the town’s open dumpsite in Barangay Maricaban has been closed and turned it into a central materials recovery facility (MRF).
He said their campaign on the proper way of disposing waste is centered on households and establishments, as they share the responsibility in managing solid waste, he said.
Franco said the same team of experts will also inspect resorts to find out if they are environmental compliant, so as not to suffer the same fate of Boracay Island, which was ordered closed for six months by President Rodrigo Duterte following reports that its water has become heavily polluted.
“(I) requested Malacañang if you could send a team over before it is too late. Hopefully, it is not too late (to) assess the whole island, including the resorts how they are managing their waste, their water and ecology there,” Franco said.
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