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AMID BORACAY ISSUE

DOT to require all hotels, resorts to have wastewater treatment facility


The Department of Tourism will issue an order requiring all hotels and resorts in the country to have a wastewater treatment facility following problems with the disposal of wastewater in Boracay, a department official said Thursday.

DOT Assistant Secretary Frederick Alegre said a draft of the order will soon be signed by Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo and will likely be issued next week.

New tourism facilities applying for accreditation with the DOT will have to include in their plan a wastewater treatment facility or their application will not be approved, said Alegre.

As for existing tourism facilities, they will have to install their wastewater treatment facility within six months from the issuance of the order.

“In areas where there are sewerage treatment plant facilities available, then they have to connect also within the six-month period from the time it is signed,” said Alegre.

The move is part of the DOT’s plan to ensure tourism facilities in the country are compliant with building and environmental regulations, following the discovery that hundreds of establishments in Boracay failed to comply with regulations.

“All of this is coming to a head because of what’s happening in Boracay. We have seen two decades of neglect and the problems Boracay is now facing is brought about by non-compliance with environmental laws and non-compliance with permits and clearances from the national government agencies and the failure of the LGU to implement and enforce the law,” said Alegre.

On a more positive note, the Tourism official noted that several local government units have taken the initiative to inspect establishments in tourist destinations even without an explicit order from national agencies.

He said the DOT received reports that there have been inspections in Panglao island in Bohol, Mactan Island in Cebu, Siargao island in Surigao del Norte, El Nido in Palawan, and more.

“We also heard that the LGUs are now proactively checking on these facilities and the compliance of all the resorts in those areas,” he said.

Alegre said the DOT is also welcoming Senator Nancy Binay’s plan to file a resolution that will require the government to produce an inventory of the situation in island destinations in the country.

Alegre said the DOT’s regional directors are giving regular updates on the development in all regions.

There were around 6.6 foreign visitors arrivals in the Philippines last year, according to DOT data. Domestic visitor arrivals, meanwhile, reached 79.3 million in 2016. —KBK, GMA News

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