FIRST, environmental issues, then overbuilding and faulty sewerage system, and now—sex on the beach. Has the most famous island in the Philippines now become infamous for scandals?
Boracay boasts its fine sugary white sand beaches, a strong contender for the world’s finest beaches. But this once primeval island, which attracts 650, 000 tourists annually, is slowly turning to be overdeveloped over the years.
A study of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources on the “tourism-carrying capacity revealed that the island was “on the brink of exceeding its carrying capacity.”
Similarly, a study made by the Canadian Urban Institute concluded that “present systems in Boracay are incapable of meeting future challenges” and that effective implementation of environmental policies is essential.
Soon enough, green algae started to float on the once crystal waters at certain times of the year, one of the negative effects the study cited. I have seen them myself last summer and they were actually covering a vast portion of the shores.
In a report on abs-cbnnews.com, Tourism Secretary Alberto Lim said that environmental and zoning regulations are not being enforced on the island.
Perhaps to complement the environmental degradation images of the island as a haven of sexual promiscuity have inculcated, such as foreign couples having sex on the beach last New Year as shown by ABS-CBN.
In 2008, the Philippine Daily Inquirer reported that a Russian woman has been kicked out from Boracay because of “alleged indecency” in public areas like bars and resorts.
What’s worse is that it happened in one of the tourist spots of the country, where traditional Filipino characteristics and values are being upheld.
As I was scanning through the comments about the news published online, a foreigner criticized Filipinos for falsely generalizing Westerners of being liberated while attacking more serious issues that need to be tackled by the people, like the establishment of a more credible judicial process and an improved educational system.
Foreigners visiting premier destinations in the archipelago must learn to respect the tradition and culture of the country. They should conform to our culture, as much as Filipinos try to comply with theirs when traveling lands.
People must understand that having sex on the beach in open and public areas is scandalous.
What is also appalling is that tourists, whether locals or not, have low regard for Boracay despite the high standards that the Boracay hospitality tries to promote. Maybe, it’s because of previous failures of the local government of the island to implement ordinances in saving the slowly deteriorating island, people think it is okay to do whatever they want because nothing prohibits them to do so, or nothing effectively prevents them.
Perhaps, people’s perception of Boracay is brought about by the disparaging reportage of media that shows similar incidents that put the image of the island in a negative light—from a family-friendly destination to a place where lovers take pleasure in its offerings.
Even, the citizens bash plans to impose an ordinance of prohibiting sensual and intimate acts of the island. But it should be understood that this “meager” step of the local officials to impose certain ordinance relating the matter is geared towards the maintenance and revival of the image that was Boracay.
Hopefully, this incident would make it clear that some things are simply unacceptable to Boracay and local tourism. Respect and sensitivity to the local culture must be upheld.
