BORACAY, touted as one of the world’s best beaches, is in danger of turning into an environmental disaster due to the spotty enforcement of sanitation and wastewater rules – a problem further compounded by the island’s incomplete sewerage and drainage system.

Just a few weeks ago, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ramon Paje expressed alarm over the poor water quality in Boracay. This after the DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) office in Western Visayas reported that coliform bacteria levels in a drainage outlet that empties into the sea in Bulabog Beach in Boracay exceeded safety standards, reaching 47,460 most probable number (mpn) per 100 milimeter (ml).