Scribd
Upload
77 views5 pages

Case Study

The document discusses the closure of Boracay Island in the Philippines by President Duterte. It describes how Boracay became environmentally degraded due to pollution, lack of proper sanitation, and overtourism. President Duterte initially proposed closing businesses violating regulations but later decided to fully close the island for 6 months, taking cabinet members by surprise. This generated debate but the closure was approved and intended to address the island's environmental problems.

Uploaded by

Ike Aresta ヅ
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
77 views5 pages

Case Study

The document discusses the closure of Boracay Island in the Philippines by President Duterte. It describes how Boracay became environmentally degraded due to pollution, lack of proper sanitation, and overtourism. President Duterte initially proposed closing businesses violating regulations but later decided to fully close the island for 6 months, taking cabinet members by surprise. This generated debate but the closure was approved and intended to address the island's environmental problems.

Uploaded by

Ike Aresta ヅ
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 5

Among the Philippines’s many picturesque island destinations,

none is probably more famous than the tropical paradise, that is


Boracay Island. Pristine beach by day and upbeat party place by
night, Boracay is simply the place to be, whether you’re looking
to unwind or be part of the latest parties and events. Its
popularity has made it a getaway destination all year ’round.
Boracay Philippines is a jewel in the Visayas, it is the ultimate
place to go to relax and unwind or to experience culture and a
tropical island like no other in the world. Boracay Island, with
its white sand and crystal blue waters, attracts more than a
million tourists and an estimated $772.5 million in revenue every
year. Boracay’s white sand beaches have previously been feted as
among the most beautiful on the planet. It’s no surprise that
Boracay continues to gain accolades from various organizations.
Bridal Guide Magazine has named the island one of the “world’s
most amazing beaches”. TripAdvisor has also placed it at the top
spot of its “Top 25 Beaches—Asia” list. In 2012 it was declared
best island in the world by Travel and Leisure magazine, and later
received accolades from Conde Nast traveler.

A 2015 study by the Japan International Cooperation Agency


(JICA) showed the coral reef on Boracay has been seriously degraded
by tourism-related activities, whereas unregulated commercial
development has threatened the island's ecosystem. The study also
revealed that the water quality on the island is deteriorating due
to the direct discharge of untreated waste water near the
shoreline. Boracay, touted as one of the world’s best beaches, is
in danger of turning into an environmental disaster due to the
spotty enforcement of sanitation and wastewater rules – a problem
further compounded by the island’s incomplete sewerage and
drainage system.
Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo and Environment Secretary Roy
Cimatu begun to look into Boracay’s problems. They took aerial
survey over Boracay on January 9, 2018. On the island, they held
a meeting with tourism stakeholders and publicly spoke of an
executive order they would propose to President Duterte. Tourism
Undersecretary Kat de Castro made a presentation about the aerial
survey over Boracay conducted by Teo and Cimatu. The presentation
included interviews with locals who were complaining about
pollution and flooding in the island. There were photos of garbage,
overcrowding and traffic congestion.

President Duterte approved the executive order (EO) for the


creation of a Boracay task force, suggested by Wanda Teo during
the February 5 Cabinet meeting. The most drastic suggestion during
the cabinet meeting was to close down businesses violating
environmental regulations. There was no talk of totally closing
the island to tourists. It was also then when a “6 month” timeline
was first mentioned. President Duterte wanted Cimatu to take the
next six (6) months to come up with a final recommendation on the
possible solution to Boracay’s woes.

On February 9, 2018, President Duterte gave his speech in


Davao City where he said he would close the island because it had
become a cesspool. Thus, it came as a surprise to the public, even
to Cabinet members when President Duterte announced that he wants
to close down Boracay. Thousands of tourists have holiday plans
thrown into chaos after the Philippine government announced it
would close the popular island.

The idea for a total closure was all Duterte’s own. More than
that, he decided to go public with it rather than discuss it with
Cabinet members first. Headlines proclaiming Boracay’s possible
closure gave rise to various sentiments. Some didn’t want to take
President Duterte’s announcement seriously. Others applauded the
show of political will to fix a perennial problem. Others thought
a closure was too much, too soon. Secretary Wanda Teo, for
instance, still stuck with the discussions in the February 5
Cabinet meeting where closures of business establishments were
proposed, not the entire island.

On March 2, Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo and Department of the


Interior and Local Government (DILG) officer-in-charge Eduardo Año
began pushing for a 60-day “tourist holiday” or closure of business
establishments and a 6-month “state of calamity.” According to
Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, during the Cabinet meeting on
March 5, 2018, there was no mention of Boracay’s closure and there
had been no specific course of actions on Boracay decided on then.

On April 3, 2018, the DENR, DOT, and DILG changed their


recommendation. They battled for a 6-month total closure. Their
suggestion was relayed through a very short “two-paragraph” letter
to the Office of the President (OP). Senior Deputy Executive
Secretary Menardo Guevarra admitted that the Office of the
President (OP) had asked for a longer explanation because details
in the letter were sparse.

According to Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque, discussions


were exhaustive during the 3rd Cabinet meeting on April 4, 2018.
The fate of Boracay was discussed, when President Duterte finally
decided. The DENR-DOT-DILG proposal – a 6-month closure of Boracay
beginning April 26 – was weighed against the Department of Trade
and Industry (DTI) proposal for a closure in phases. The
secretaries of DENR, DOT and DILG agreed to recommend a 6-month
closure instead of one year. DOT suggested the April 26 as the
start of the island closure to prevent Laboracay- a celebration
that begins on the weekend closest to Labor Day. Laboracay is a
huge summer party that draws local and foreign tourists to the
island. According to Leones “The problem with Laboracay is it lasts
for one week so things will get messy again. The tourists will be
at the beach 24/7 so it will really get polluted and chaotic.

But not all Cabinet secretaries were on board with the idea.
Trade Secretary Ramon Lopez wanted closure done in phases, starting
with a few barangays, and then expanding eventually. Finance
Secretary Sonny Dominguez had concerns of his own though he did
not outrightly oppose total closure. Dominguez had issues with the
impact on revenue and income. At the end of the meeting devoted to
Boracay, Duterte approved the DOT-DENR-DILG proposal.

President Duterte’s manner of deciding on Boracay is moved by


graphic images. It was a video of Boracay’s problems that drove
him to consider closure. It was photos of bruised and frozen bodies
of female domestic workers that drove him to ban Kuwait deployment
of Filipino migrant workers. It was a documentary on mining that
led him to threaten mining companies with taxation and an open-
pit mining ban.

When President Duterte makes a crucial pronouncement, his


focus is on the impact of his messaging rather than the nitty-
gritty processes and nuances needed to make the policy happen. He
leaves his Cabinet secretaries to find ways and, if needed, work-
arounds.
President Duterte’s most controversial or drastic decisions
are often announced in speeches, before he gives formal orders to
Cabinet secretaries. Thus, his secretaries are often left to
scramble for a clarification on his public statement and then to
find a way to implement his order by recalibrating according to
what laws, protocol, or diplomacy allow.

You might also like