BY:DONALD SEVILLA
PARADISE NO MORE?
Amid the problems besetting us, we feel we have lost a piece of our beloved island paradise.
While without doubt we have many beautiful beaches and tourist spots to be proud of, we are facing a myriad of challenges to secure our spot as a sustainable and affordable travel destination.
We may take this for granted and brush it aside, but mind you, we are notoriously known for being an expensive place to visit.
In the tourist areas in Panglao, locals are competing with tourist dollars for just about everything. Food prices and decent hotel accommodations are often beyond reach of the ordinary Boholano folk. Even trike fares are tourist traps!
Yet, beneath the struggle and difficulties, average Boholanos make do and manage to get by.
Talk about resiliency and suffering in silence! Despite these challenges our people still manage to beam a smile or two.
But with the elections forthcoming next month, are we up for a change in leadership to make things better? We may be raking in millions in tourist revenue but has it trickled down to the benefit of the average Joe on the street?
Has tourism brought a much needed boost to help our local economy?
We see so many tourist establishments and businesses around but they are mostly owned by foreigners through their dummies. Is this the kind of progress and greener pasture we dream of for our people?
While tourism can be a good income opportunity for everyone, local governance has a big role to play to make it encompassing. Without a clear plan and effective management, the local populace will suffer its ill effects.
Why do you think food in our markets is expensive? We are an island, yet eating seafood has become a luxury. We have been suffering from the adverse effects of tourism but what have our local leaders done?
If our leaders can’t do anything to remedy the situation, we may wake up one day to find ourselves displaced in our own land. Where before we can roam freely and enjoy our beaches, now we can hardly do so without paying exorbitant entrance fees
and cottage rentals.
Can we tighten our belts more? It’s about time we think long and hard, face the bitter truth and act. Maybe a change in leadership has to be made to improve our quality of life.