Noelle Sophie U.

Baroman X- Tau August 16, 2019

Part of Boracay beach closed off for poop cleanup

Author: Rosette Adel Date: August 14, 2019

Source: Philstar.com

MANILA, Philippines— The Boracay inter-agency task force on Wednesday temporarily closed
off an area of the beach where a tourist allegedly let her child defecate.

In a text message to Philstar.com, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the area
was closed to the public on Wednesday morning "by instructions of Environment Secretary Roy
Cimatu."

Th, headed by acting Mayor Hon. Frolibar Bautista, cordoned off a portion of the beachfront in
Station 1 after the reported incident.

Puyat said the area was closed for clean up, adding swimming in the area will be temporarily
prohibited.

The area is believed to be where a viral video of tourist letting her child defecate on the beach
was taken. The woman was seen washing her child's buttocks while another woman was seen
burying a diaper in the sand.

The video went viral on Monday and eventually reached the attention of authorities.

The Boracay inter-agency taskforce and the local government unit of Malay are already
addressing the issue.

Environment Undersecretary Benny Antiporda thanked the uploader of the viral video.

“Nagpapasalamat po tayo kasi pinost niya ang video pero mas magpapasalamat sana tayo kung
naituro niya ang mga may kagagawan nito,” Antiporda said in a radio interview with dzBB.

(We thank the person who posted the video but we would be even more thankful if they are able
to point out who did this)

“Sad to say na sa sobrang dami ng tao, hindi po ito natyempuhan ang may kagagawan niyan,” he
added.(Sad to say that with so many people on the beach, we were not able to catch the offenders
in the act).
He said the offender, if caught, may face penalties for violating environmental laws.

Under Malay’s Municipal Ordinance No. 311, series of 2012 or “Anti-Littering” ordinance,

littering, urinating, defecating, spitting, vandalizing and dumping trash in public places are
prohibited.

Following the incident, the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources said it would
intensify its information drive on the rules and regulation in the newly rehabilitated tourist
destination.

Puyat last Tuesday encouraged the public to report similar incidents to the authorities.

Boracay was closed to the public for six months in 2018 on President Rodrigo Duterte's orders.
He said at the time that the island had become a cesspool.

The six-month closure, which started on April 26, 2018 and ended October 2018, paved way for
the rehabilitation and environmental restoration of the world-famous island.

Analysis:

Firstly, I agree with the decision of Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to close the area
temporarily to the public due to the incident not only for cleanup but also to let the public,
including tourists and establishments, know and be aware that the government is serious
regarding the implementation of this ordinance. One should not look far to know who or what.
whether you’re a Chinese, Filipino, a rich heir or a tourist, you must learn to abide with the laws
of the land.

I appreciate the different agencies of the government that are concerned ( Department of
the Environment and Natural Resources, Local Government Unit of Malay which was headed by
Mayor Hon. Frolibar Bautista and also to the Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat and
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu) for their immediate response to this matter. I applaud them
for the reason that they didn’t neglect this issue even though for some people, it’s a small matter.
“Big things have small beginnings” after all.

I suggest that they will put signages around the area so that the public will be aware of
this ordinance including the fines and to also allocate some employees to monitor the area from
time to time. I just hope that everyone will cooperate because in the end, this is all for the sake of
our next generation.