DIRT TRAIL Trash left by tourists spoil the white sand beach of Sta. Fe on Bantayan Island in Cebu province. —FILE PHOTO
CEBU CITY — Officials of Cordova town on Mactan Island in Cebu province have reopened a public beach that Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia ordered closed in 2022 due to its high fecal coliform level.
Cordova Mayor Cesar Suan said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) declared the Bantayan Bay or the Bantayan Public Beach safe for swimming.
“What we’re doing now is just a temporary reopening. We hope to develop what we have so that it would become more pleasing to everyone,” he said in his speech during the ceremonial ribbon cutting on July 16.
Suan was joined by Vice Mayor Victor Tago; municipal consultant Marven Pañares; Market Administrator Allan Tiro, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office chief Fred Anlocotan, and Cordova Marine Watch chief Rogelio Saquilabon.
The mayor called on the boatmen to help ensure the cleanliness of the beach and ensure that people would not throw garbage anywhere.
Suan said the municipality would not be collecting any payment for one month but would later collect environmental fee to cover the operating cost.
The Bantayan Bay, he said, is open to the public from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Suan said the boatmen would be trained about customer service by the municipality so that tourists would keep coming back, not only because of the beach, but also due to good customer relations.
The mayor warned that another closure would be imposed if cleanliness would not be maintained.
Ban in the beach are drinking liquor, use of illegal drugs, firearms, smoking, gambling, overnight stay or camping, loud speakers, and glass containers.
He said grilling should be done on free grilling stations provided by the municipality.
“We want to avoid grilling at the beach, especially on board the boats, because it might lead people to throw their garbage anywhere,” Suan explained.
In August 2022, Governor Garcia prohibited the construction of more floating and fixed cottages in established easement zones in Cordova.
Garcia, in an executive order, said the cottages had been operating without restrooms and proper waste management system, and failed to secure permits or clearances from the municipality.
The governor cited that the cottages were built along the established easements in violation of the Water Code of the Philippines, and Cebu Provincial Ordinance No. 2021-01 or Cebu’s Water Code.
The Department of Health earlier warned that swimming in waters with high fecal coliform bacteria levels could lead to various diseases, such as typhoid fever, hepatitis, gastroenteritis, and dysentery.