The DENR regional office here confirmed that the local government
has no authority to run tourism activities since the agreement signed in 2014
only allowed them to “protect, conserve, and preserve” the island.
“The local government of Palompon as the operator and developer
has no issued tenurial instrument giving them the authority to develop the
island much more to sub-lease it to another person or entity,” said DENR
Regional Director Crizaldy Barcelo in a letter sent to the Regional Development
Council (RDC) Wednesday.
In an inventory conducted by DENR early this year, the agency
found out that the island has 12 concrete structures used as toilets and
dressing rooms, 22 cottages made of light materials, and a pavilion made of
concrete materials.
Barcelo said the management of small island ecosystem is governed
by a special regulation provided under an administrative order issued in 2000.
The DENR field office here assessed Kalanggaman, acting on central
office order issued March 1, 2018, to check the environmental compliance of
establishments in tourism destinations. The directive came after President
Rodrigo R. Duterte declared that tourists have turned Boracay Island into a
"cesspool".
The Boracay closure that started April 26 prompted the DENR to
evaluate all tourism-related activities in unclassified public forest such as
Kalanggaman Island.
The DENR regional office released the report on the status of the
island after the RDC asked the agency to comment on the proposal enjoining
local governments with tourism sites in the region to replicate the best
practices of Palompon, Leyte.
Kalanggaman Island is part of the municipality of Palompon, which
is about 115 kilometers east of the airport in Tacloban City, the regional
capital.
Raoul Bacalla, head of the Palompon municipal environment and
natural resources office said they were shocked to receive the letter from the
DENR informing them the need to legitimatize their tourism operations.
“The local government has been operating on the concept of
co-management agreement signed with DENR in 2014. The main purpose is to
conserve the island. We are using tourism approach as a tool for nature
conservation. We are so particular on how we do tourism activities on the
island. We are so particular with protocols,” Bacalla told RDC members during a
meeting here Wednesday.
The official said the local government and DENR will meet soon to
settle this issue and comply all requirements.
Department of Tourism Eastern Visayas Regional Director Karina
Rosa Tiopes said they are concerned with the issue since Kalanggaman is the
region’s most visited destination.
“It’s quite alarming that our island destinations have several
issues. It’s difficult for DOT to sell if internally there are so many
problems… I hope we can settle this for the good of Eastern Visayas,” Tiopes
added.
The DENR confirmed that other destinations such as Sambawan Island
in Maripipi, Biliran and Cuatro Islas in the towns of Hindang and Inopacan in
Leyte are facing the same management issues. However, only Kalanggaman was
highlighted due to a proposal to make the island as tourism model.
Palompon town has been receiving awards for managing Kalanggaman
such as Best Tourism-Oriented Local Government Pearl Award in 2014 to 2017,
Climate Change Award Adaptation Award by Climate Change Commission in 2016,
Malinis at Masaganang Karagatan Award in 2016 to 2017, and Galing Pook Award on
Integrated Community-based Tourism in 2017.
The number of tourists visiting the island rose to 101,312 in 2017
from 95,677 in 2016.
Kalanggaman Island, a one-hour boat ride from the mainland, is a
postcard-perfect virgin island endowed with powder-white sand and crystal clear
waters. It has a long sandbar that stretches toward both sides of the island.
The island that is ideal for relaxation, swimming, snorkeling and
scuba diving is one of the sites offered for cruise tourism destination in the
Eastern Visayas. (SQM/PNA)
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