Mulled El Nido, Coron closure needs careful study

MANILA – The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) urged the government to take a long, hard look at the proposed closure of El Nido and Coron in Palawan, taking note of how such a move would impact local enterprises as well as employment.

The PCCI said the national government should hold a dialogue with key stakeholders to discuss rehabilitation plans before considering the closure of the two major tourist destinations in Palawan.

“Closing El Nido and Coron will not be good for business, particularly for the legitimate industry stakeholders (i.e., hotels, resorts) who will suffer the most from cancellation of bookings and reservations for the coming months. It will also affect a lot of local livelihoods and jobs,” the country’s largest organization said in a statement.

The business group also backs the statement of Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat that there should be no complete shutdown of El Nido and Coron, instead, establishments that have violated environmental laws should be “heavily fined.”

“PCCI also urges concerned LGUs (local government units) not to wait for the national government’s intervention but rather be more proactive in identifying and cleaning up their respective illegal waste disposal and sewer issues,” PCCI added.

In 2017, tourist arrivals in El Nido alone reached 200,000 and are expected to be higher this year with the six-month closure of Boracay.

The inter-agency task force that took on Boracay has yet to submit the final recommendation for El Nido and Coron’s rehabilitation.

But the Interior department hopes the whole town will not be shut down for the cleanup.

“Maybe there is no need to close El Nido in its entirety,” said Interior secretary Eduardo Año. “We can do the cleanup and rehab even without closing El Nido…with the cooperation of the LGUs and the public or the tourists coming in.”

The rehabilitation plan comes after the six-month closure of Boracay, which was ordered cleaned after Duterte dubbed it a “cesspool” for its pollution problem.

Boracay and Palawan face similar problems, such as building easements near the shoreline, waste disposal, oil spills from boats, and overcrowding.

Environment officials claim that some structures tagged as violating the law already started self-demolition to ensure rehabilitation would be cheaper.

Environment secretary Roy Cimatu said 22 establishments in El Nido have already closed. He also promised that the DENR would keep an eye on the neighboring municipality of Coron.

“We’ll dedicate a big portion of DENR presence there para tutukan itong dalawang [to focus on these two] tourist destinations there…El Nido [and] Coron,” said Cimatu. (With reports from PNA and CNN Philippines/PN)