Boracay closure

[PaulB]

So is it the same people who allowed and permitted it to get as it is now who are going to rejuvenate it? Sounds iffy!

 

Paul

[fillipino_wannabe]

That will be a lot of businesses going bankrupt. I looked into getting a small resto there and it was 300k pesos per month in a poor location. Expect the ones on the beach are paying well over 1 million, maybe 2 million pesos per month.

[scott h]

8 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Why they couldn't solve problems progressively I dont know.

Because Dueterte understands the Filipino mind better than us. Drastic situation call for drastic measures. If they went incrementally folks would just drag their feet, hope for a change of administration or another situation to come along and take the heat off.

As someone who visited Borakay in the mid 90s (my profile picture is on the beach there) and visited ever couple of years until 2010, the place really, really degraded. The Sari-Sari store mentality asserted itself and every available spot was used with out thought to long term planning.

 

13 hours ago, Tukaram (Tim) said:

that giant casino

As one who lives near (I can see 2 of them from my house) the 3 newest casinos here in MM, they actually do a lot more good than harm IMHO. They are built first class with proper infrastructure surrounding them. They employ thousands (I see employee busses running all over the area) and the tourist they bring in is astounding. 

Smart money figured out that the real tourist dollars are not really going to be made by back packers seeking pristine views and remote beaches, but from big city moneyed tourist from china, Korea and japan. And those big money tourist like their high class comfort and entertainments.

Lets face it, there is no profit catering to the middle class Caucasian tourist or expat (which most of us are I believe) but the big new Asian money.

[sonjack2847]

53 minutes ago, scott h said:

Because Dueterte understands the Filipino mind better than us. Drastic situation call for drastic measures. If they went incrementally folks would just drag their feet,

Yes he does and yes they do.It seems to me after 7 years here they don`t listen until it hits their pocket and then they moan.The first thing though is that the government employees who allowed this to happen should be brought to task.Maybe they should pay the workers who will be without a livelihood.I feel sorry for all the people who in many cases have done no wrong that will have their lives devastated,but until people follow rules it is always going to hit the fan.

[Tukaram (Tim)]

10 hours ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

Cant see how detailed plans as well as things like pipes etc will be organised in such a short time.

That is one of the big complaints coming from business owners there.  The closure is imminent, but there are no solid plans on what or how anything will be done.  It is a knee jerk reaction on the government's part and will most likely cause more harm than good - no one is arguing that improvements need to be made - but there is no plan.

[Jollygoodfellow]

1 hour ago, scott h said:

Because Dueterte understands the Filipino mind better than us. Drastic situation call for drastic measures. If they went incrementally folks would just drag their feet, hope for a change of administration or another situation to come along and take the heat off.

Well it was actually several boards such as tourisam, environment etc that put forward the proposal to close the island and it was Duterte who approved it. In the beginning he said he will give them 12 months to clean it up but did not suggest closing completely from my memory. 

[Dave Hounddriver]

10 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

The government will also dismantle 948 illegal structures on forest land. Meanwhile, there are "102 or 109" buildings or resorts that violate the 30-meter easement rule – the distance from the shoreline where construction is allowed. Owners of these buildings or resorts must voluntarily demolish them or else government will.

The more I think of it, the more it seems like the whole thing is an excuse to tear down a lot of buildings so someone more influential, (money or political clout), can take over certain parts of the island away from prying eyes.  I wonder if there will be a lot of fatal "accidents" during these demolitions.  We will probably never know as the island is closed, so who's gonna tell?

[scott h]

7 minutes ago, Tukaram (Tim) said:

but there is no plan.

Tim, you have lived here long enough to know that making a plan will not work, stop thinking like a yank . 

Remember this is the land of the Temporary Restraining Order. If a plan was developed it would be held up in courts and hearings. Then when a plan is made, it will be put out for bid, then the losers of the bids will challenge the bidding process in court. In the mean time the resort owners would just keep on what they are doing.

This way the resort owners have a huge incentive to get it fixed. 

[Jollygoodfellow]

4 hours ago, Dave Hounddriver said:

The more I think of it, the more it seems like the whole thing is an excuse to tear down a lot of buildings so someone more influential, (money or political clout), can take over certain parts of the island away from prying eyes.  I wonder if there will be a lot of fatal "accidents" during these demolitions.  We will probably never know as the island is closed, so who's gonna tell?

From many videos I have seen the water is often green with algae which is caused by sewage or even runoff from fertilizers on land but in this case it's the former for sure so if that problem is not fixed then it's a disaster therefore whatever or if there are other agenders that problem still has to be fixed. No point building a huge casino and resort with filthy water surrounding it. 

[Dave Hounddriver]

55 minutes ago, Jollygoodfellow said:

From many videos I have seen the water is often green with algae which is caused by sewage

I am sure that the algae is exacerbated by sewage but this article from 2012 says:

Quote

These (algae) blooms are not new, since long term residents claim that they used to take place seasonally as long as 25 years ago, when there was little development on Boracay. At that time the major sources of nutrients were from groundwater discharges from the wetlands

That being the case, the algae ain't going away no matter what they do.  So we come full circle to "scientists" who like to "stir shit".