El Nido rehab on track

Restoring beauty The rehabilitation of the island-paradise of El Nido in Palawan continues with the demolition of buildings found encroaching the shoreline. DoT photo

The Department of Tourism (DoT) on Friday expressed satisfaction over the ongoing rehabilitation of the island-paradise of El Nido in Palawan.

During the launching of “Save Our Spots” (SOS) movement, DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat was elated over the progress of the rehabilitation efforts jointly by the DoT, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

Puyat particularly cited the building of a sewage and solid waste treatment plant.

She also noted that owners of structures violating the proper easement zones along the shorelines are already self-demolishing their buildings.

“The tourism industry of El Nido has been thriving for so long, so I’m happy to see this progress in the sewage and solid waste management facilities,” Puyat said.

“We want our tourists to feel clean and safe when they visit our country,” she added.

Puyat stressed that in all tourism sites, sewage and solid waste treatment plants and other infrastructures are needed to secure the welfare of the environment and the industry in the years ahead.

In 2018, the rehabilitation of El Nido was initiated due to unsustainable tourism practices and ecological degradation, thereby enjoining stakeholders to implement the laws and undertake immediate recourse to save the tourist spot from further deterioration.

Apart from El Nido, the DoT, DENR and DILG have also launched initiatives to instill sustainable tourism development in Boracay Island, Cebu, Coron Island, Davao City, Panglao Island in Bohol, Samal Island, Siargao and Siquijor.

Noting that many Filipinos rely on tourism for livelihood and business opportunities, the DoT looks into three major indicators to attain this vision, namely, the enforcement of national laws and local ordinances; the investments on local infrastructures and facilities, and the private sector engagement.

“A lot of travelers are now looking at the Philippines because of the thrust for sustainable tourism. Our tourists now are more mindful — they choose to go to a place where they know that environmental laws are in place, and that we take care of the environment to make tourist spots very clean and safe to enjoy,” Puyat said.