El Nido resorts lead environmental clean-up

MANILA, Philippines – No one is blind to stunning and untouched environments like that of Bacuit Bay where three of the four El Nido Resorts (ENR) in Palawan are located.  But when lack of resources and poor awareness connive, local communities become prone to over-fishing, wanton waste disposal and other practices that harm the surroundings.

Every September, ENR and the rest of the community observe International Coastal Cleanup day as part of a worldwide event sponsored by The Ocean Conservancy.

“We host coastal clean-ups and other similar programs to change behavior that cause pollution and environmental degradation,” Joey Bernardino, ENR marketing director, says.

With representatives from 18 El Nido barangays in attendance, the recent ICC day drove home the point that marine debris leads to loss of water quality, destruction of marine habitats and causes harm to birds, turtles and other mammals.

The main cleanup site was the four-kilometer beachfront along Bacuit Bay that is part of Lio in El Nido. The stretch of fine sand is part of the 325-hectare Lio Tourism Estate envisioned to be a fully integrated community that will maintain the ecological balance in the area through a sustainable masterplan.

Lio’s initial 25-hectare parcel will offer beginning next year bed and breakfasts, dining and retail centers and tourism-related establishments that will blend with the natural landscape. No building, for instance, will be taller than the height of the coconut trees.

ICC Day was highlighted by an exhibition volleyball match featuring celebrity players Gretchen Ho and  Alexa Micek partnering with local residents.

Mariglo Laririt, ENR director for the Environment and Sustainability, said: “We hope awareness will develop a sense of respect and also a commitment to guard these resources to ensure its perpetuity.”

She adds that ENR employees, 90 per cent of whom are local hires, have been required to undergo environmental training programs since the late ‘90s.

“It is our hope that they also pass on the values inherent in these trainings to their families and neighbors.”

Suppliers like boatmen, contractors and fishermen are given similar courses.

Modules on ecological solid waste management, biodiversity conservation and water conservation have also been rolled out by El Nido Resorts trainers to local high schools and other communities since 2012.

El Nido Resorts is made up of four properties named after the islands that host them: Miniloc, Lagen and Pangulasian in El Nido town in Bacuit Bay and Apulit in neighboring Taytay town.