Boracay — that tiny island at the northern tip of Panay, a destination renowned for its fine white sand beaches, shallow gentle waters, and all-day partying — recently reopened to tourists after being abruptly shut down six months ago to enable it to recover from its shameful deterioration into a “cesspool,” to borrow President Duterte’s graphic description of what this paradise has become. It took but 30 years to turn it into a septic tank. Six months might be enough to mask the extent of its degradation and morbidity. But, surely, it would take much longer than that to return it to some semblance of ecological health.

David, R. (2018, October 28). The Boracay syndrome. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A14.