THREE years ago, my Harvard classmate who was a known public leader in Israel acceded to my invitation to speak in our major corporate event on innovation and technology. Hoping to showcase the best of the Philippines to her family, I offered to arrange an itinerary for her after the corporate event to visit, in her personal time, some of the beautiful places that the Philippines is known for around the world. Excited as she was for her first visit in the Philippines, she told me that she had prepared her own travel plans and decided to visit the islands of Coron in Palawan. Thus, much as I wanted to play host to her and her spouse, I believed it would be more respectful not to bother her on a personal trip. Given her high profile status in her own country, it was challenging for her to make a trip to Asia and eventually spend some personal time to take a much-needed break from such a demanding job of an Israeli public servant.
As I have never been to Coron myself, I was beyond myself in pride upon knowing that given the stature of my classmate in the Israeli government, she might share her Philippine experience with the shapers and movers of the Israeli society. In my mind, I conjured images of untouched paradise islands with lush forests, enchanted rivers, warm people with smiles, luscious food and pristine seas. I could not wait for such news that would lift my sagging morale to be proud of our country as I had always been.
My friend was fascinated by the beauty of our islands. As expected, she had glowing words to describe the place. However, her experience of getting to the place and the failed infrastructure doused the enthusiasm. Hoping for her next visit may be doubtful. It has been a puzzle to me how the real experience had been.
This weekend, I had a chance to visit Coron for the first time. True enough, the cluster of islands of Coron and Busuanga, with vibrant corals and marine life can be considered paradise islands. Sailing from island to island; swimming from one hidden lagoon to the next, the sights, places and people were magnificent. Surprisingly, the road from Busuanga Airport to Coron is well-paved. One remarkable service I availed of was the Hertz rental car service for P3,500 per day for a Toyota Fortuner. For the quality of the car and the comfort and access it gave us, the price was a reasonable and affordable. I learned that a one-way trip on a local tricycle could be as high as P1,000. Hence, going for a car rental at this amount was a catch. On this note, the experience was enjoyable and worth repeating.
The disappointments though came with the utter lack of town planning in Coron which caught the once sleepy town unprepared for the influx of tourism and development. This is an opportunity to craft one to prepare the town for urbanization and further development. Or this is a disaster waiting to happen if its local leaders fail to prepare at least a 30-year master plan for the town. One disaster waiting to happen is the danger of contaminated water. The lack of proper water and sewerage system could create a crisis for this town if not addressed immediately. Drinking from the tap can lead to waterborne diseases because the water distribution utility company serving the town decided to lay the pipes for potable water inside the sewer canals where the most hazardous of waste, toxic chemicals, bacteria and virus flow. Drinking from the tap is like drinking sewer water itself. For certain the leaks from the water pipes invite sewer water to contaminate the entire potable water supply. To drink from the tap is a death wish. Ironically, the lush watersheds of Busuanga make the island rich with fresh spring water. If done correctly with a master plan, these water sources can be tapped sustainably to quench the thirst and water needs of everyone in the island and the tourists flocking there.
Palawan is truly one of our islands that are predominantly pristine. But it must prepare for the influx of inevitable development which must be sustainable and inclusive. To do this, the island province must build safe and accessible infrastructures to improve the quality of life of its people. Power, water, waste management, housing, transport and mobility, food and agriculture, human development, and many other aspects of development must be addressed. Land use and enforcement of environmental laws must be enforced. Despite prohibition of alien ownership of land, the locals themselves speak of aliens “factually” owning the prime properties in Palawan and its group of islands. Some of them are occupying areas of our public domain such as forest lands and foreshore lands.
The brightest of opportunities lie right before the shores of Palawan. But they can only happen with vision, with the right leaders, and the decision to learn from the mistakes of other paradise islands of our past. Because of greed, lack of compassion and myopic vision for development, the leaders of these once paradise islands had exchanged the golden future for a mere 20 pieces of silver turning them instead to what they are now — paradise lost.
