‘Pacquiao’ resort alarms Tourism office
BY RODERICK T. DELA CRUZ

The Tourism Department is raising safety concerns over the so-called Pacquiao resort being built along the cliffs of Sitio Diniwid on Boracay Island with the blessings of the Environment Department.
“The construction... has obviously not taken into consideration the... geohazard conditions of the area,” Tourism Secretary Ace Durano said, referring to the Boracay West Cove Resort owned by Crisostomo Aquino, the official Philippine flag bearer whenever boxing champion Manny Pacquiao has a fight outside the country.
“The resort was built very close to the cliff and on top of fallen boulders,” Durano said.
Balabag village is a no-build zone under the island’s Comprehensive Land Use Plan, but the owner of the Boracay West Cove resort was able to sign a 25-year land lease with the Environment Department.
Even during its soft-opening phase, Pacquiao was a frequent guest in the 12-villa Boracay West Cove, prompting islanders to call it the Pacquiao resort.
“The Comprehensive Land Use Plan for Boracay Island, adopted by the municipal government of Malay, indicates that the island is prone to geologic hazards, where any development should be preceded by a thorough geotechnical study of the project site,” Durano said.
Architect Maria Lisa Santos, a land use specialist tapped by the Tourism Department, said only non-permanent structures should be built on Sitio Diniwid because of the geo-hazards.
Despite these findings, the Boracay West Cove Resort has began building permanent structures along the cliffs, prompting several groups to file complaints.
Boracay Foundation Inc., led by Loubelle Cann, said the forest land use agreement with the Environment Department was supposed to be only a tenurial title that allowed possession of the land, but did not exempt the land owner from following municipal ordinances on the construction of facilities on no-build zones.
Edwin Trompeta, the regional tourism director for Western Visayas, said he had asked Environment Secretary Joselito Atienza to enforce the ordinances that Boracay West Cove was said to be violating.
The Tourism Department initiated the Comprehensive Land Use Plan to identify and designate areas by specific use on the 1,086-hectare Boracay Island.
Covering a 10-year period starting in 2008, the plan provides the long-term land use framework and sectoral plans to serve as a blueprint for the development and management of the island.
“Once the Zoning Ordinance of the plan is adopted by the local government, we aim to employ stronger enforcement of zoning and limitations regarding development and construction in Boracay,” Durano said.