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Old 05-04-2018, 04:53   #1
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Boracay "Closed"

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the closure of the tourist destination of Boracay for up to six months (starting April 26/18), after saying the waters off its famed white-sand beaches had become a "cesspool" due to overcrowding and development.
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/04/w...ts-closed.html
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Old 05-04-2018, 05:36   #2
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Re: Boracay "Closed"

Boracay seems to be an anthropogenic disaster that has been in the making for several decades during which the local government, national government, and local capitalists have after consideration restrained themselves from investing in infrastructure.

The losses to the budgets of the governments and to profits of those capitalists look big. See: Gov’t may lose up to P20-B in gross receipts due to Boracay closure — DILG | Inquirer News

Several of Thailand's seaside tourist resorts including Ko Phi Phi are, as they say, "in the same boat": https://www.bangkokpost.com/news/gen...-down#cxrecs_s
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Old 06-04-2018, 18:43   #3
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Re: Boracay "Closed"

A team of Reuters journalists have assembled a good summary of the situation of sandy beach sites in Southeast Asia that have become damaged by big mobs of human visitors.

The journos accompanied their story with hard facts, including a chart of the annual human visitation of Boracay from 2002 to 2017. The chart shows visitation growing almost ten-fold in that period, reaching 2 million/year in 2017.

And all without the investment in garbage disposal and sewage treatment. Not from local government with its revenue stream, not from the national government capturing the tax revenue, and not from the capitalists directly running the sausage machine.

See: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...train-10112898
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Old 06-04-2018, 19:11   #4
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Re: Boracay "Closed"

This is a great move.

I sailed past twice, each time pick up great reception for internet to update my imagery charts for other islands, but not stopping there.
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Old 07-04-2018, 02:01   #5
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Re: Boracay "Closed"

no great loss to the backpacker trail,in a country with 10.000 islands.
biggest loosers will be the small local enterprises that make a living from tourism.
the bigger companies will just promote another FIFO destination , build some new bamboo shacks ,install a few ATM's,dive companies will setup overnight to cater for the new influx.
rinse and repeat........
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Old 07-04-2018, 02:02   #6
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Re: Boracay "Closed"

And of course, while admitting the garbage and sewage problems in Boracay, there is a strong "backroom conspiracy" theory that has been suggested as the REAL motive for D30's executive action to close Boracay.

The "backroom conspiracy" theory is that President D30 is persuaded that the only way to clean up the garbage pile on the island, the only way to build a proper sewerage treatment plant instead of running raw sewage into the seawater, the only way to build tourist resorts that would attract a solid revenue stream to the Philippines govt budget, is to wipe the island clean of small scale resorts (none of whom have the capital to build a supposed 'international quality' resort for the future, let alone build garbage disposal and sewage pipes and a tertiary sewerage treatment plant) and thereby open the way to Macau gambling money.

The dream of luring Chinese money into gambling casinos is an enduring one in the Philippines.

The 'backroom conspiracy" theory is well covered in this S China Morning Post story:
Is Duterte putting thousands out of work in Boracay to clean it up for Chinese gamblers? | This Week In Asia | South China Morning Post
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Old 14-04-2018, 23:22   #7
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Re: Boracay "Closed"

Exactly Alan, but there is so much more corruption involved than that. Many properties will be grabbed in the name of this cleanup and the enforcement of previously ignored Zoning surveys, that a corrupt mayor allowed

The island was originally zoned Forest and Agricultural so many expat houses will be removed under that excuse.

Afterwards a rumoured Chinese funded Casino is supposed to be built and the island will be repurposed for Chinese tourists.

According to a close friend who owns a major business in Boracay, they have already paid for a major sewage treatment system years back and encouraged the Mayor to enforce environmental standards.
One has to wonder, why this environmental push on Boracay and not Manila?
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Old 15-04-2018, 16:04   #8
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Re: Boracay "Closed"

Yes, the story in yesterday's PDI seems to confirm your suspicions, Pelagic.

A race to dress up as "deserving farmers" to claim the alienated "agricultural land" has just started:

DAR starts identifying beneficiaries of Boracay land | Inquirer News
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Old 15-04-2018, 16:22   #9
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Re: Boracay "Closed"

The Philippines have had a habit of shooting themselves in the foot, but under this administration, they are aiming considerably higher!
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Old 22-04-2018, 08:55   #10
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Re: Boracay "Closed"

Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan Mighty View Post
And of course, while admitting the garbage and sewage problems in Boracay, there is a strong "backroom conspiracy" theory that has been suggested as the REAL motive for D30's executive action to close Boracay.

The "backroom conspiracy" theory is that President D30 is persuaded that the only way to clean up the garbage pile on the island, the only way to build a proper sewerage treatment plant instead of running raw sewage into the seawater, the only way to build tourist resorts that would attract a solid revenue stream to the Philippines govt budget, is to wipe the island clean of small scale resorts (none of whom have the capital to build a supposed 'international quality' resort for the future, let alone build garbage disposal and sewage pipes and a tertiary sewerage treatment plant) and thereby open the way to Macau gambling money.

The dream of luring Chinese money into gambling casinos is an enduring one in the Philippines.

The 'backroom conspiracy" theory is well covered in this S China Morning Post story:
Is Duterte putting thousands out of work in Boracay to clean it up for Chinese gamblers? | This Week In Asia | South China Morning Post
Even with the improved airport at Caticlan, Boracay has another problem ....using the rag tag assortment of bankas that is the only way to shuttle tourists from Caticlan ferry port over to Boracay.......conspiracy dudes don't seem to factor that into the Chinese gamblers theory......also I don't think the Caticlan airport can handle international arrivals as yet

I fear for my own island home (PANGLAO Island, Bohol) as there are indications that we are close to having sewage issues plus we have a new International airport (scheduled to open August '18)

Fortunately Panglao is 20+km long compared to Boracay 6km, plus other than the 1km of resorts at Alona Beach, other resorts are pretty much spread apart.

Both Boracay and Alona Beach area are getting too crowded for me.

My new home will have options - one beach area is 3km to NW, favourite 2 beaches are 7k away (1 to the west, 1 to SE) - Alona is also 7km away......provincial capital is 13km to ENE

Caio,

Dave
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Old 22-04-2018, 08:59   #11
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Re: Boracay "Closed"

Quote:
Originally Posted by Pelagic View Post
One has to wonder, why this environmental push on Boracay and not Manila?
You'd have to close Manila for 6 YEARS to make a dent there
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Old 22-04-2018, 16:06   #12
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Re: Boracay "Closed"

Foreign Investors in Philippine Tourism have always struggled with local corruption and lack of execution in providing the infrastructure needed to encourage tourists to return.
(Worst Airports/Roads/Traffic Safety).

To encourage foreign investment they created Special Economic Zones like Subic/Clark and Tourist Zones that offered a number of tax incentives "in perpetuity" so that investors would help to create that infrastructure.

Now under this Administration, TRAIN has been past and TRAIN-2 is in the house, ALL incentives have been rescinded and these investors are now being thrown to the side.

The Philippines have a habit of shooting themselves in the foot, but now under this Administration,......they seem to be aiming much higher.[emoji17]

https://www.philstar.com/business/20...ompetitiveness
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Old 23-04-2018, 22:23   #13
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Re: Boracay "Closed"

Quote:
Originally Posted by Alan Mighty View Post
A team of Reuters journalists have assembled a good summary of the situation of sandy beach sites in Southeast Asia that have become damaged by big mobs of human visitors.

The journos accompanied their story with hard facts, including a chart of the annual human visitation of Boracay from 2002 to 2017. The chart shows visitation growing almost ten-fold in that period, reaching 2 million/year in 2017.

And all without the investment in garbage disposal and sewage treatment. Not from local government with its revenue stream, not from the national government capturing the tax revenue, and not from the capitalists directly running the sausage machine.

See: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news...train-10112898
No news there - : )

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Old 23-04-2018, 22:42   #14
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Next is Samal ...

I would not worry about Panglao just yet, as the govt has its gaze firmly set on Samal Island. They have done sewage surveys there in the last couple of weeks, and they seem to be considering Samal for action in the near future.

Of course, not all of the Boracay blowback has yet hit the fan, so there may still be hope that Dirty D may yet do one of his famous 180s and take a more measured approach to the problem.

We have been to Boracay and, like others on the thread, chose not to even go ashore. The parasailing speed boats came so close to our mast that I thought that they might tear it off on the next pass. That was enough for us, and I still wonder what their passengers, flying just over our heads must have thought : 0

Hope, for your sake, that the para sailors have not yet invaded Panglao.

Best,

G2L

Quote:
Originally Posted by panglaodave View Post
Even with the improved airport at Caticlan, Boracay has another problem ....using the rag tag assortment of bankas that is the only way to shuttle tourists from Caticlan ferry port over to Boracay.......conspiracy dudes don't seem to factor that into the Chinese gamblers theory......also I don't think the Caticlan airport can handle international arrivals as yet

I fear for my own island home (PANGLAO Island, Bohol) as there are indications that we are close to having sewage issues plus we have a new International airport (scheduled to open August '18)

Fortunately Panglao is 20+km long compared to Boracay 6km, plus other than the 1km of resorts at Alona Beach, other resorts are pretty much spread apart.

Both Boracay and Alona Beach area are getting too crowded for me.

My new home will have options - one beach area is 3km to NW, favourite 2 beaches are 7k away (1 to the west, 1 to SE) - Alona is also 7km away......provincial capital is 13km to ENE

Caio,

Dave
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