EDITORIAL — Congrats, now take care of it

It’s nice to hear some good news every once in a while, and the good news Cebu recently got was that one of the beaches of Moalboal Town has been named as among the best in Southeast Asia.

According to a report in this newspaper, Conde Nast Traveler named Panagsama Beach as one of the best beaches in Southeast Asia, alongside Tonsai Beach in Krabi and Buffalo Bay in Koh Payam, Thailand; Coral Bay of Perhentian Kecil, Malaysia; Bawah Reserve in Bawah Island, Indonesia; Cat Co 3 in Cát Bà Island, Vietnam; and Saracen Bay in Koh Rong Samloem, Cambodia.

Panagsama was the only beach from the Philippines mentioned.

“This recognition praises the rugged beach’s natural beauty as well as its extraordinary underwater treasures, renowned for the sardine run that gather near Panagsama Beach, with schools of fish in millions moving together in a fascinating display,” the Department of Tourism said of the recognition.

An international travel magazine has found one of our beaches among the best in the world! Congratulations! Now we have to work to keep it as good as they say it is.

With recognition comes fame, and with fame comes tourists, and while tourists are good for a tourist attraction they can only be as good as long as the attraction knows how to deal with them.

What has happened in other areas is that suddenly there are too many tourists coming, and suddenly the natives and the local government unit cannot handle them anymore. The usual result? Overcrowding, pollution, and even possible environmental damage.

We aren’t confidently predicting that Panagsama Beach will see a deluge of tourists with this latest news, but that is also a possibility we see, so the people there have to be prepared for it and be ready to take care of what they have.

As we previously said, sometimes a place can become a victim of its own success. We have to take care of what we have; otherwise, nature will just decide that we don’t deserve it.