Boracay hotel says it’s no environment violator

ILOILO CITY — The management of a Cebu-based hotel chain denied that one of its hotels on Boracay Island, which was shut down by the Malay local government last week, violated environmental laws and regulations.

The Crown Regency Hotels & Resorts said it was “taken aback” by the temporary closure of Crown Regency Prince Resort near Station 1 at Barangay Balabag.

“As a response to this temporary closure of Crown Regency Prince Resort, the management wishes to clarify that it has not been discharging hotel wastewater into [the] drainage system,” the management said in a statement sent to the Inquirer.

‘Natural spring’

“The discharged water, in reality, emerges from underground natural spring … existing under the building structure that on numerous occasions overflows in the basement area …,” it said.

The hotel chain said it had put up pumps to dispose excess water. It also denied that the hotel’s sewerage treatment plant (STP) was nonfunctional, as alleged by the Malay town government.

It said it had contracted Boracay Tubi System Inc., one of the two water service providers in Boracay, to maintain the STP and to ensure that treated water was within the acceptable standard.

Protecting islands

The hotel, it said, was shut down a few hours after the notice of closure was served, “without any consideration [for us] to respond for clarification and provide updates from our end.”

“We are [a law-abiding and reputable] establishment that shall never deviate from what is needed to be done for healthy and safe environment to protect our island,” it said.

Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling on March 26 ordered the temporary closure of the 36-room hotel for allegedly failing to correct violations despite the issuance of citation tickets. —Nestor P. Burgos Jr.