Malay town to fastrack enactment of 'long-overdue' environmental code

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

How do we see Boracay 50 years and beyond?

This was the critical question posed by Dr. Miguel Dino Fortes, professor at University of the Philippines (UP) Diliman Marine Science Institute, before the Sangguniang Bayan members of Malay.

                             PHOTO AKLAN FORUM JOURNAL

Fortes was invited to guide the legislative council in the enactment of the proposed environmental code of the town of  Malay. 

“We are after the survival of Boracay Island since she has changed drastically through the years,” he said. 

Fortes, native of Sorsogon, is a coastal ecologist, biodiversity and integrated coastal area management specialist. He is a recipient of 18 major awards including the UNESCO Chair and the International Biwako Prize for Ecology for East and Southeast Asia and Russia.

Fortes described the proposed environmental code of Malay as “a bold, honest and adoptive response of the people of Malay to environmental uncertainties, aimed at ensuring a bright and secured future.”

The proposed code adheres to the provisions of Presidential Degree 1152 or the Philippine Environment Code and the existing provincial environmental code and sets the ground rules for the environmentally sustainable economic development by ensuring the constituents follow a system of wise and prudent exploitation of its resources. 

“This is a big challenge for the municipality to think collectively and be more receptive to global and local imperatives of change,” Fortes stressed. 

Fortes said congestion in the island is now causing degradation of water quality, overpopulation, increase in built up and bare soil areas due to construction and development of big resorts, decrease of vegetated areas and benthic cover and occurrence of ‘green tides’.

“Boracay, a 9.67 square kilometers fragile island, needs practically an integrated socio-economic and ecological systems approach to address major coastal issues,” the marine scientist said.   

Fortes added that best tourism practices in the world such as enforcing laws to develop green ways of living and sustainability, ensuring a healthier population by reducing carbon emissions and pollutions significantly and blending green spaces into the urban landscape could be adopted by Boracay and Malay. 

For his part, Malay vice mayor Abram Sualog said the legislative council will pursue in the next three months the enactment of a comprehensive environmental code of Malay. which was initially drafted on August 2014.

The article was originally published by independent online blog Aklan Forum Journal. The unrestricted use in print or radio, publication and distribution of articles are allowed provided the original author and Aklan Forum Journal are credited.