Five of the country’s top tourist destinations have been served notice by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) that their status as green economy models or GEMs mean nothing unless they shape up and address “major” environmental concerns that continue to beset their operations.
GEM entities are those that have not only embraced responsible and inclusive asset management practices but have adopted ecologically sustainable development as well.
In a meeting the DENR convened in partnership with the DILG, the Department of Tourism (DOT) and the Department of Health (DOH), the environment watchdog urged establishment owners and operators to resolve water quality and solid waste as well as plastic pollution issues in their respective spheres of operation on pain of punitive sanctions.
At the meeting convened only last week, the DENR sought the participation of local chief executives from the five GEM sites to highlight the urgency of the matter. The five GEMS include the prime tourist destinations of El Nido and Coron in Palawan; Panglao in Bohol; Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro; and Siargao Island in Surigao del Norte.
In that meeting, the DILG leadership mandated the host LGUs present to address the water quality and solid waste management challenges in their respective areas within the next six months or face temporary closure once imposed on Boracay Island pending full compliance to the terms of its environmental rehabilitation.
The water resource and solid waste management, land use planning and enforcement of easement zones and public-private partnerships at the five GEMS are closely monitored by national government agencies including the DENR.
Environmental Secretary Maria Antonia Yulo Loyzaga said the DENR, through the Water Resource Management Office, stands ready to provide technical assistance on water issues, stressing the importance of having a stable water supply across the LGU landscape.
She said the DENR will continue to work with national and local government units in the implementation of programs addressing the perennial problem of solid waste management and plastic pollution.
As consequence of the meeting, the DILG instructed the LGUs present to undertake “immediate measures.”
The DILG and the DENR are preparing for the Waste and Water Summit later this year as part of measures addressing issues on waste management and water security.
