Cebu Is A Top Resort Destination In The Pacific

[MikeB]

Sorry to disappoint you the "state of the art facility" sewage treatment is b.s. A group of graduate students in environmental studies from a Hawaii university were in Boracay recently. The sewage contamination, based on testing beach water samples, were above normal. The data from their field studies will be included in their research paper. The agreement is the data won't be uploaded on the Internet.   Wading is safe. Make sure you don't have open wounds and sores. Avoid getting water in your nose, ears, mouth and eyes. Drinking water was determined to be sufficiently chlorinated and safe.

That's a pretty damning statement about the water quality of the premier vacation beach spot of the country. Too bad this research can't be published. My understanding is that sewage is treated and piped out far to sea on the Bulabog side of the island, completely opposite from Beach Stations 1-3 where almost all foreign tourists stay. Maybe they tested the water on the Bulabog side?  

[dalidali]

I am not one to 100% believe what a resort owner tells me....it would go against his personal interests to say otherwise.

Bottom line is I just don't know the state of the water quality. I can only relate what was told to me by someone on the ground 7/24 and everyday.

 

I did find it interesting that this particular owner said the pearl hawkers actually are selling REAL pearls.

He went on to say, his Filipina wife had them tested and they are indeed real, albiet cultured.

She even sells them in the USA and make big bucks from that.

 

I addition, he said those pearl farms are mostly in Mindanao and belong to former rebels who turned in their arms for pearl producing oyster beds.

 

Again....I just don't know.....just passing on tidbits for purposes of rumination and the ongoing dialog that helps this board remain active.

[brock]

I did find it interesting that this particular owner said the pearl hawkers actually are selling REAL pearls. He went on to say, his Filipina wife had them tested and they are indeed real, albiet cultured.

 

 

You can test if the pearls are real by rubbing them on your teeth, If they feel smooth then they are fake.

[JJReyes]

That's a pretty damning statement about the water quality of the premier vacation beach spot of the country. Too bad this research can't be published. My understanding is that sewage is treated and piped out far to sea on the Bulabog side of the island, completely opposite from Beach Stations 1-3 where almost all foreign tourists stay. Maybe they tested the water on the Bulabog side?  

 

The local government is useless. The new waste treatment plant was built by a financial consortium of large property owners. It is primary treatment and you then dump the waste as far away at sea as possible. As the saying goes, "The Solution to Pollution is Dilution." I suspect not everyone is participating and enforcement is difficult. Some businesses who don't want to pay the high fees may still be practicing direct dumping. 

 

It is not at a critical level where they have to close the beach. They will never do this in the Philippines. This happened once to Waikiki when raw sewage spilled into the Ala Wai canal. The effect on tourism was catastrophic and the Environmental Protection Agency fines were in the millions. We warn visitors not to swim in our fresh water ponds, streams and river due to the presence of some bacteria from the feces of wild and domesticated animals. They do it anyway.

 

"The water is safe," according to the local guides. Invite them to join you for a swim.  

Edited September 12, 2013 by JJReyes

[MikeB]

The local government is useless.

No doubt.

The new waste treatment plant was built by a financial consortium of large property owners. It is primary treatment and you then dump the waste as far away at sea as possible. As the say goes, "The Solution to Pollution is Dilution." I suspect not everyone is participating and enforcement is difficult. Some businesses who don't want to pay the high fees may still be practicing direct dumping.

It's a tiny island beseiged by a million tourists a year, what are they supposed to do with it? I couldn't find who built the treatment plant but for the last 3 years it's been managed by the Boracay Island Water Company which is owned by Manila Water. It was recently upgraded. - http://www.philstar.com/business/2013/05/06/938729/boracay-water-completes-treatment-plant-upgrade

The beach was briefly closed in the 90s due to contamination but I can't find any reputable source that says there is a current problem. 

[JJReyes]

The beach was briefly closed in the 90s due to contamination but I can't find any reputable source that says there is a current problem. 

 

The visiting group were graduate students on a field trip. They were not there on an official capacity. Water testing is suppose to be done by a Philippine government agency. The frequency and even if such tests are conducted, I have no idea. There is no such thing as an Environmental Impact Study in the Philippines. They build without thinking about important issues such as traffic, sourcing for qualified workers, housing employees, water, sewage and treatment. 

 

My wife and I would like to visit Boracay to relive our fond memories of the time period it was a hippie colony. Everyone gathered at the beach during sunset, and after the sun had disappeared, there were shouts of, "Encore! Encore!" 

 

Our visit to Shangri-La Hotel and other resorts on Mactan Island several years ago was downright uncomfortable. The resorts were packed with Korean tourists who stared at you as if you don't belong. I guess my aloha shirt made me look like an alien or something. Our normal courtesy is to greet everyone we meet with a, "Hi." The Koreans just stared. We were glad our hotel was Marriott in Cebu City rather than a resort in Mactan. We had lunch at the Shangri-La Hotel. The food was lousy and it was expensive.

Edited September 13, 2013 by JJReyes

[Tukaram (Tim)]

I am in Boracay right now. They say to just dtink the bottled water, and refill them from a water cooler in the lobby- and that water smells very chlorine'ish.

[JJReyes]

I am in Boracay right now. They say to just dtink the bottled water, and refill them from a water cooler in the lobby- and that water smells very chlorine'ish.

 

Leave the containers uncapped. The smell is chlorine gas. Some of the smell should disappear.

Edited September 14, 2013 by JJReyes