Hanauma Bay in Hawaii. Photo provided by author

Poor Boracay. Just a day after it reopened to tourists following its six-month rehabilitation, trash were again found around the island. I can only shake my head at the irony. It’s like people can’t seem to learn -- or care. Clearly, the problem is not the place but the people.

I remember a few years back at the height of Laboracay parties, some environmentalists were taking to social media to complain about the large amounts of garbage left behind by revelers. And I distinctly remember a friend firing back by saying, “It’s not their job to clean up.” His argument was that he paid a good fortune to stay in a high-end resort and attend the party, so the resort owners should be the one to clean up the mess. He even likened it to renting out a hotel room.

But the beach is not a hotel room. It’s not even private property.

It surprised me that this person felt this way given his stature in life. He was a leader in his industry and made his fortune making things and people look good. He even had a State University education. But I guess money and a college degree do not automatically equip people with the right thinking and habits towards the environment.

So what can?

Perhaps Boracay’s local government could learn a thing of two from Marikina City.

In the late ‘80s, cab drivers rarely dared go to Marikina, that valley at the outskirts of Metro Manila. The place was flood-prone, with little street lighting and bad roads. It was notoriously ugly -- until a Bayani Fernando came along. Outsiders can say what they want about BF, but that guy was Marikina’s visionary hero. The three-term mayor transformed Marikina to what it is today. He cleaned up the river, established a proper waste disposal system, engineered giant sewers and “brainwashed” its citizens.

BF CANDIES AND CLEANING TONGS

In 1994, I was a first-grader at St. Scholastica’s Academy and I remember standing with the rest of my classmates lined up outside the campus. We were there to greet the motorcade of Mayor Fernando who I think was celebrating his birthday. For the event, he gave each of us a treat: a candy wrapped in a green plastic which featured a cartoon of him. The instructions were clear. Enjoy the candy, but keep the wrapper in your pocket. Only throw the trash in the bin once you see one. It was so simple it has stayed with me over two decades now. It was just one of Fernando’s campaigns to “brainwash” Marikeños into adopting nature-friendly habits.

There were many other ways he taught the city to be better stewards of the environment. He gave every household a pair of metal tongs and encouraged “Tapat Ko, Linis Ko” (clean your own place) policy. For a time, there were even giant speakers at the city square blasting words to discourage pedestrians from littering.

Violators, I was told, will be asked to attend a field trip around the city. Riding on a coaster around Marikina, they will be lectured about how and why we do what we do here.

Fernando’s ideas were truly brilliant. He educated locals and gave them the starting tools to change their ways. And he started with the young, and didn’t lose hope with the old. Re-education was a crucial part in Fernando’s campaign to ensure he would succeed in cleaning up the city. In the end, Marikina became one of the country’s cleanest and greenest cities.

But how can Boracay emulate such when majority of the people on the island are tourists?

Perhaps it can learn a thing or two from Hawaii, that paradise in the Central Pacific best known for its beaches and mountains.

Truth be told, I think Boracay’s beaches are better than Hawaii’s – at least the ones I’ve seen in Oahu. Nothing can quite compare to the finest powdery white sands of Boracay. But then, what use is Boracay’s natural beauty if it were to be left with so much trash?

MANDATORY ORIENTATION

I guess a big part of Oahu’s charm was its cleanliness. Sure, it is not without imperfections. I had observed a number of hotels and restaurants opting to use Styrofoam plates and plastic utensils for convenience. But it had a lot of good things going on. One of the best ones I had observed was its mandatory tourist orientations.

Hanauma Bay Nature Preserve is one of the most popular snorkeling sites in Oahu. And as expected, tourists flock to this area. But visitors cannot just waltz in with their gear and start swimming. Literally everyone needs to go through a tourist orientation. That’s the only way into the bay area.

Guests first need to register and are kept in a holding room. And every half an hour, a batch is welcomed into a theater where they get to watch a video about the place. There, tourists can learn the bay’s history and rich biodiversity. They are also educated about the various do’s and don’ts – a handy guide especially for first-timers.

Afterwards, people are asked to sign in their names and e-mail addresses to indicate they are agreeing to the bay’s rule and regulations. In a way, that enforces accountability in the visitors.

It’s also nice to note that the orientation program is manned by locals, thereby empowering them and generating income for them.

BRAINWASHING PEOPLE TO LOVE NATURE

After a six-month Boracay rehabilitation, now what? The LGU is again faced with a trash problem. Surely, one would agree that there simply is no logic cleaning up after every single person’s mess. The better solution is re-educating people. But while social media posts from no less than the environment department itself are useful, more sustainable and concrete solutions on the ground are needed.

I like to believe most people like to do the right thing. They just lack the awareness of the why’s and how’s they should be taking care of the environment. But perhaps by mimicking the success of others, Boracay can truly reborn itself.

My suggestion? Teach locals by following Marikina’s example, and educate tourists by just like Hawaii’s orientation program. “Brainwash” everyone into becoming stewards of nature. This I believe, is the only way we can truly save our island paradise.

Disclaimer: The views in this blog are those of the blogger and do not necessarily reflect the views of ABS-CBN Corp.