The six-month closure and cleanup of the resort-island of Boracay is an opportune time to rethink our tourism development for a more sustainable and long-term growth. While Boracay was getting more than two million foreign and domestic tourists a year, it was on the brink of environmental catastrophe in the absence of a master plan and supporting infrastructure. President Rodrigo Duterte himself called the country’s attention to the “cesspool” that Boracay has become. The President did the right thing when he asked his Cabinet secretaries to bring order to Boracay amid the rush to construct structures on the 1,000-hectare island. Without proper sewage and treatment facilities, the island’s residents and tourists are vulnerable to illnesses caused by infected water.

Villar, M. B. Jr. (2018, July 18). A healthier Boracay should serve as a model. Panay News, pp. 9, 14.