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Local's Perspective on The Proposed Boracay Bridge

By: Gil delos Santos

WHAT HOPE IS LEFT FOR BORACAY?

Boracay is its people. Boracay is its community. Boracay is its natural treasures.

It's dark how the future of sustainability and community for Boracay look like. Let's be part of the light for hope. 

THEN
As a kid born and raised in Manocmanoc, the Manocmanoc Beach was our everyday playground. Great memories! The sense of ownership that we have for our playgrounds gives us the privilege of entitlement that we feel it is our home. It was a pride each time to warmly welcome visitors to share our space with them.

NOW
We feel strangers to our old playgrounds. We cannot access them anymore 40 years later. We have not imagined that it wasn't owned by the community. The provincial government installed a cargo port in the Western side of Manocmanoc Beach preventing the natural sand movements and we lost the sandbar that is being formed every habagat season — which we used to call "Recudo". Recudo is gone forever!! 

We also lost the rock that we used to utilize as platform to fish in the otherside because the sand movement is blocked. The said rock is sand burried now. Did they even consult marine experts before implementing the cargo port construction? Or at least did they even consult or consider the community what's at stake when the project is built. They did not! That's the beginning when we first feel that Manocmanoc is owned by somebody else. 

Here comes 2024, the noise about Boracay bridge went abuzz in full circle. As an effect, poor Manocmanoc...the main access to the beach is now fenced with "No Trespassing" sign by the Tirols. I personally feel a stranger to Manocmanoc anymore.

Business preparations are brewing down here. It is where the other end of the proposed Boracay bridge of San Miguel Corporation would land. 

BUSINESS IS BUSINESS 
SMC don't see this sentiments of Boracaynons. Their goal is to only expand their business empire country wide. And us, Aklanons, tend to bite their lure for greed...hope not. If we, Boracaynons, feel stranger already today, what more if San Miguel becomes the biggest player in the island! They will become the local decision maker hiding under the face of our elected local officials.

BRIDGE CONSEQUENCE 
Aside from taking away the allure of Boracay as an island, what do you do with thousands of Malaynon families depending livelihoods on boat transfer services? Does San Miguel care about this? If they don't, what's the guarantee they bring good to the island? Di pa nga nila maayos ayos ang Caticlan Airport na overdue na.

We are not against progress. However it should be in a good balance, a well regulated progress with social acceptability from the community. The community should be involved, heard, and considered in the whole process towards drive for progress. If this consideration exists in other successful places, why not practice in Boracay.

Absolutely #NoToBoracayBridge

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