DENR to Boracay LGU: ‘Clean up recycling facility, or else’

FILE – PARADISE In this file photo, tourists enjoy Boracay Island’s powdery white sand beach and clear waters. But unregulated development and the influx of visitors result in environmental degradation and a host of other problems.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is keeping close watch on the local government unit tasked to address garbage problems in famed beach getaway Boracay island.

Last June, the DENR signed an undertaking with Malay, Aklan mayor Ciceron Cawaling, in which the local government official promised by July 17 to haul away garbage dumped at a materials recovery facility (MRF) located in Barangay Manoc-Manoc.

An investigation led by the DENR found the MRF on the island has become an “open dump” for mixed waste.” “The only conclusion is that waste segregation has not been properly observed,” the investigating team noted.

Teachers and students at a nearby school had complained of the foul odor from the trash, which had become so bad it disrupted classes, the DENR said.

Cawaling’s promise came after a visit by DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu to the island last June 22.

”If not addressed, the local government of Malay, particularly Mayor Cawaling, may face charges for violation of Republic Act No. 9003 or the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act of 2000,” Cimatu said, in a statement on Friday.

Cawaling promised the trash will be transported by barge to a sanitary landfill in mainland Malay, and to submit to the DENR a progress report indicating the amount of solid waste cleared from the area.

“Garbage remains a major challenge to this island resort and the challenge becomes more daunting with the increasing number of tourists coming,” Cimatu added.