By JIMMY C. CALAPATI

BORACAY, Aklan—Stakeholders in the country’s premiere tourist destination plans to decongest, preserve Boracay by developing Caticlan as jump off point for development.

The Department of Tourism recently spearheaded a workshop on the Comprehensive Land Use Plan (CLUP) for the island.

Resort owners, NGOs, local government units, representatives from the Philippine Tourism Authority and the DOT suggested that:

a) Caticlan be developed, make the service providers live there to decongest the island; b) remove the phone and power line eyesores; c) manage waste properly and d) increase police visibility.

"30 years ago, when backpackers started trekking to Boracay, there were no structures. Land was being sold for a mere P1 per square meter. Who would have thought that this would be a top tourism earner for the country and among the top tourist destinations in the world," DOT secretary Joseph "Ace" Durano said.

At present, there are 4,054 rooms available in the island with additional 1,301 rooms undergoing construction and expected to be completed within the next two years. International chain of resorts and hotels are also eyeing development plans in Boracay.

Tourist traffic in the island also grew by 12 percent per yeare over the last three years from 2004-2006. Even during the monsoon season, more than 25,000 visitors per month trooped to the island.

Despite the success of tourism in the island, various issues pervade such as environmental upkeep resulting from poor sewerage system, poor garbage collection and colliform as well as other social issues.

"Only 30 percent of the island is developed. The congestion only happens in the white beach of the barangay of Balabag. The barangays of Yapak and Manocmanoc are still not developed," Malay mayor Ceciron Cawaling said. The mayor added that for 2008, the local government earned close to P80 million in taxes alone.

But the proliferation of resorts and commercial establishments in the white beach is not the only problem of the island. Population is also slowly becoming a threat. According the studies, there were only 2,700 registered inhabitants in the island in 1997. By 2007, this has grown to 17,000.

"Many of these are workers. Some have migrated and became tricycle drivers, boatmen, vendors. We should also device a plan to control migration and decongest the island," Cawaling said.

During the workshop, which generally evolved around how to maintain Boracay as the premier tourist destination of the country, several resort owners and NGOs have suggested that vital to the preservation of the island is the development of the mainland.

Caticlan, 15 minutes away from the island, houses the airport, the jetty port and several small commercial establishments. But aside from being the transit point for Boracay, nothing much is happening in Caticlan.

Some said that Caticlan should also be developed to house the family of the workers. Others also suggested of transferring the tourist facilities in Caticlan so tourists can only come to Boracay during the day.

A participant also commented on the existing telephone and electricity wires that are eyesores for tourists.

Others expressed concern on the existing garbage disposal system of the island, commenting that the existing materials recovery center and the water treatment facility should be maximized.

A group suggested of increased police visibility, transparency of transactions between local government units and resort owners, and a more concrete buildings permit for future resort developments.,

Durano said that the workshop is vital for the creation of the framework for the CLUP. Once finished, the CLUP will help identify the areas that may be developed and designate areas by specific use.

The Phil. Tourism Authority is also doing a master plan for Boracay while the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources and local government units have collectively issued a moratorium on construction of new facilities.

However, there is a need to consolidate these efforts through the formulation of CLUP to guide future development of the island.

"The challenge in Boracay is that there is a contest of ideas. The property owners have their own ideas on how to manage their properties. The local government of Malay and provincial government of Aklan have their own idea on how to manage the island. DOT has its own idea, so does DENR," Durano said.