THE Philippines has thousands of islands from the Batanes group in the north to the Tawi-Tawi group in the south. Most people are familiar with the larger islands — Luzon, Mindoro, Panay, Negros, Samar, and Mindanao. But there are still thousands of islands — 7,641 in the last official count, possibly even more if low tide.
In recent years, visitors from all over the world have discovered our islands, such as Boracay which is now the top tourist destination in the country. Last year, it was recognized by the Conde Nast Traveler (CNT) Readers Choice Awards, as the top choice in Asia. This year, Cebu and the Visayas Islands, as an entry, were voted No.1 by international travel magazine readers, who participated in this year's survey.
Palawan is also in the top 10 in Asia, fourth; Siargao, fifth; and Boracay, sixth. While the other islands in the Top Five in Asia are Penang in Malaysia and Bali in Indonesia.
Conde Nast Travelers magazine describes Cebu as: “Located in the center of the Philippines, Cebu draws millions of travelers annually for its pristine beaches and diving off the island’s northern coast. Spanish and Roman Catholic influences permeate Cebu; Basilica Minore de Santo Nino houses a small statue of Christ that was presented by Ferdinand Magellan. ”
Aside from its natural attraction, Cebu’s unique place in world history, from the influence of Spain and Catholicism, won the world travelers ’voters choice as the top island in Asia.
In honor of the international award, Secretary of Tourism Bernadette Romulo Puyat said: "The Philippines is indeed blessed with the best of nature, as exhibited by the consecutive accolades we are receiving from reputable and prestigious publications for our islands and beaches."
And there are so many other islands in our archipelago waiting to be discovered by nature-loving travelers, he said. There are many more islands with rivers and waterfalls, dive sites, clean and clear swimming waters, along with fish and other wildlife.
And after two and a half centuries under Spain, there were many towns in the country with old churches depicting history unique to this part of the world. This combination of old Spain and religious influence along with the natural beauty of the land and the waters around it won the Conde Nast Top Island in Asia award for Cebu this year.
Boracay belongs to the cluster of islands in Panay in the Western Visayas. It is small and bone-shaped. Boracay is located about two hundred kilometers south of Manila. It is part of the Malay town in the province of Aklan. It consists of three barangays: Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak. Yapak is at the northern end of the island, Balabag is in the middle, and Manoc-Manoc is to the south. Boracay is managed by the Department of Tourism (DOT) together with the Aklan government. The island is seven kilometers long and covers 1083 hectares. The center of the island, which accommodates about 16000 people, is flat and narrow. The southern and northern parts of the island are wider and hilly. The highest part of the island is Mount Luxury, which is 100 meters high and in the northeastern part of the island. Covered by the Malay town of Aklan, Boracay is occupied by three barangays. The island is famous for its white sand beach. Aside from scuba diving, snorkeling, windsurfing, kiteboarding, and cliff diving, Boracay is also crowded due to the night life here which is inspired by various restaurants, bars, and night clubs. Aside from its beautiful sands, they are also proud of the beautiful resorts here. The island of Boracay was also named by a travel leisure magazine as “Best Island in the World”. It is also the leading tourist destination in Aklan.
The image of a paradise is often painted when talking about the island of Boracay.
It has also been described several times as one of the most beautiful islands in the world and a major tourist destination in the country.
But now various sanitation and environmental problems plague Boracay, including drainage problems, structures built in easement zones and forested areas, and heavy traffic.
There are already 500 tourism businesses on the island for about 2 million tourists visiting each year.
It is far from Boracay where Elena Tosco Brugger grew up.
He first set foot in Boracay in 1989 when he was accompanied by a visiting aunt from America.
"When I saw those paraw, sunset, and fruit bats, I said, 'Wow! This is paradise!'" Brugger said.
Brugger has lived in Boracay for more than two decades and he said the natural beauty of the island has not changed.
But Brugger also admitted that much has changed.
"What changed is the facade of our beach. There are more buildings, more people, more trash," he said.
During last week's aerial inspection, some national government staff found that many structures did not seem to comply with the mandatory salvage zone of 25-plus-5 meters that buildings should be away from the high tide mark of the beach.
"It's depressing, it's unfortunate that you can hardly see anything on the shoreline because it's a pure structure, right next to the sea," said Interior and Local Government officer-in-charge Eduardo Año.
"The color of the water is different, then you can see the sewerage coming out," added Año.
The local government of Malay, Aklan and staff of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources are facing an investigation that may have allegedly neglected to maintain cleanliness on the island.
Boracay faces the threat of a two-month closure but for Brugger, I hope we can find other solutions to prevent businesses that comply with the law.
"Those three, four, five violators, you will affect your [business] good and compliant," Brugger said.
Some senators disagree with Boracay's 'total closure'
Brugger's message to the islanders is that this is not the time to teach who is at fault. Instead, just work together to start organizing their paradise.
