Galsim, Princess Van Andrelle A.

Purposive Communication

BSA 1 – 17 Task 2.3

The Atom Araullo Specials: Saving Paradise

A 40-minute film that was aired on March 30, 2019 with the award-winning
documentarist Atom Araullowhere he travels to some of our country’s known tourist sites and
look at the current state of the paradise of the Pearl of the Orient Seas. The documentary’s goal is
to uncover and explore the rehabilitation of Manila Bay, Boracay and Coron as these
rehabilitations are the way to save, restore and protect our own paradise.

Manila Bay: Rescue the Bay City

The Bay City is the country’s major center of economic activity ranging from shipping,
industrial, commercial, fishing, aquaculture and tourism activities that is why there is a massive
action that is ready to get done but Manila Bay’s problems run deep as the administration created
an inter-agency task to clean-up the Freeport Zone and Are of the Bay City. Manila Bay was
known for its sunset and beautiful bay as the people were once connected to the sea. But taking a
closer look to it now, it is now just a dark shadow of its bright past. Araullo went to Manila Bay
and heads up to the close river systems connected to the bay to discover what power it needed to
bring the good old glory back of the Manila Bay. Facts was provided in the documentary
showing the real need of its rehabilitation. According to the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic
Resources, 20-30% of the Manila Bay is considered as “dead zone” meaning it only has little or,
worst case, no oxygen. The bay is already not safe to swim because of the fecal coli or bacteria
from manmade waste. Fishes are dying and over 14 million people relies on fishing as their
livelihood. Araullo look for the cause of the bay’s problem, he went to the rivers connected to
the it and discovered the wastewater in the nearby facility. In this segment of the documentary,
their team successfully discussed the main problems of the water pollution in Manila Bay stating
that there is no waste management, lack of sewed treatment facilities and lack of people’s
discipline.
Boracay: Preserve our Best Destination for Relaxation

From Manila, Araullo travels to Western Visayas to take a look to the flagship
rehabilitation of Boracay. The well-known beach that is not just only for being one of the most
popular tourist spot in the country but also one of the biggest beaches in the world was closed
down for half a year. After the closure and being back to business, the government put some
strict beach guidelines. Araullo and his team uncovered what has changed to the tourist
destination and looked if it really had one good change. He headed into the heart of Boracay – its
wetlands. Within the beach you will find the island's most vital thing, the wetlands that are its
natural reservoir. It helps avoid flooding by the suction of excess water stream. Yet only 4
remain out of 9 wetlands, since some wetlands were replaced by infrastructure. Also, under the
Department of Environment and Natural Resources investigation, it was discovered that many
resorts dispose of their wastewater from the illegal drainage connection. The film let us know
that Boracay 's fresh water source is also in urgent need of attention.

Coron: Conserve the Country’s Final Frontier

Araullo and his team’s journey finally leads them to the breathtaking tropical island in the
province of Palawan, Philippines that is best known for world-class WWII-era wreck diving,
Coron. Aside from its flourishing tourism, problems are also being faced by the last paradise.
The struggle of the pristine island is the lack of proper solid waste management and treatment
facilities leaving the tribes of tagbanua in worry as it is part of their ancestral domain. An open
dumpsite is prohibited under the law yet it is the cause of the major problem of Coron. In 2017.
DENR MIMAROPA restricted people to swim because of the fecal coli that can harm the sea,
animals and human. Structures are also prohibited in the easement zones declared by the DENR.
The last segment of the documentary showed us that the tourist spot is in fact badly needing a
rehabilitation.

Araullo and his team’s journey finally leads them to the breathtaking tropical island in the
province of Palawan, Philippines that is best known for world-class WWII-era wreck diving,
Coron. Aside from its flourishing tourism, problems are also being faced by the last paradise.
The struggle of the pristine island is the lack of proper solid waste management and treatment
facilities leaving the tribes of tagbanua in worry as it is part of their ancestral domain. An open
dumpsite is prohibited under the law yet it is the cause of the major problem of Coron. In 2017.
DENR MIMAROPA restricted people to swim because of the fecal coli that can harm the sea,
animals and human. Structures are also prohibited in the easement zones declared by the DENR.
The last segment of the documentary showed us that the tourist spot is in fact badly needing a
rehabilitation.

Our country is blessed with astonishing archipelago. Atom Araullo and his team really
did their best not just for their production but also to open the eyes of every viewer. Rehabiliting
our tourist destinations to save, preserve and restore it. Still, it wouldn't got to that point if we are
disciplined enough. We must start it from ourselves. If we didnt act, when? And how many life
will suffer? How much more damage will our nature need to endure? We must be responsible to
build toward conservation, sustainability and protection of our paradise. We must develop
ourselves as we develop our livelihood, economy and biodiversity.

Reference:

GMA Public Affairs (2019, March 31). The Atom Araullo Specials: Saving Paradise Full
Episode. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpG5QUbIuBw