Reason and Concerns
BY ATTY. RONQUILLO C. TOLENTINO
Sec. Lim’s lamentable comment on Boracay
Shortly after Alberto Lim joined President Aquino’s cabinet as tourism secretary on June 30, 2010, he made a gaffe.
The new tourism secretary recommends other tourist destinations with equally beautiful beaches to be visited than Boracay citing Boracay to be dense and commercialized similar to Phuket. Not satisfied with his initial observations and comparing Boracay a generation ago, Lim took potshots at the algae and sewage, adding that environmental and zoning regulations were not being enforced.
I made other readings of Lim’s deplorable comment on Boracay thinking that I may find constructive proposals on Boracay coming from Lim’s end. I did not find any.
Governor Carlito S. Marquez and Congressman Florencio T. Miraflores reacted to the Secretary Lim comment on Boracay. From the joint letter sent by the Aklan governor and congressman, Secretary Alberto Lim owes the provincial officials and people of Aklan an explanation, nay, an apology.
I remember DENR Regional Executive Director Raoul Geollegue who was criticized and condemned by Aklanons for saying that Boracay Islands water is unsafe for bathing published on June 12, 1997 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Geollegue denied the statement and passed the buck to the reporter claiming that he was taken out of context.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources then headed by Secretary Victor Ramos made inconclusive report on the Boracay coliform microorganism issue. Indignant Aklanons and tourist condemned then Secretary Victor Ramos.
Boracay had survived and immediately bounced back from the coliform damaging reports. Certainly, it shall bounce back back from Secretary Lim’s lamentable comment.
BY ATTY. RONQUILLO C. TOLENTINO
Sec. Lim’s lamentable comment on Boracay
Shortly after Alberto Lim joined President Aquino’s cabinet as tourism secretary on June 30, 2010, he made a gaffe.
The new tourism secretary recommends other tourist destinations with equally beautiful beaches to be visited than Boracay citing Boracay to be dense and commercialized similar to Phuket. Not satisfied with his initial observations and comparing Boracay a generation ago, Lim took potshots at the algae and sewage, adding that environmental and zoning regulations were not being enforced.
I made other readings of Lim’s deplorable comment on Boracay thinking that I may find constructive proposals on Boracay coming from Lim’s end. I did not find any.
Governor Carlito S. Marquez and Congressman Florencio T. Miraflores reacted to the Secretary Lim comment on Boracay. From the joint letter sent by the Aklan governor and congressman, Secretary Alberto Lim owes the provincial officials and people of Aklan an explanation, nay, an apology.
I remember DENR Regional Executive Director Raoul Geollegue who was criticized and condemned by Aklanons for saying that Boracay Islands water is unsafe for bathing published on June 12, 1997 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer. Geollegue denied the statement and passed the buck to the reporter claiming that he was taken out of context.
The Department of Environment and Natural Resources then headed by Secretary Victor Ramos made inconclusive report on the Boracay coliform microorganism issue. Indignant Aklanons and tourist condemned then Secretary Victor Ramos.
Boracay had survived and immediately bounced back from the coliform damaging reports. Certainly, it shall bounce back back from Secretary Lim’s lamentable comment.
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