Aboitiz to rehabilitate Boracay’s Wetland No. 4

The Aboitiz Group, led by its social development arm the Aboitiz Foundation, signed today a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to support of the agency’s mission to rehabilitate Boracay island.

The Aboitiz Group adopted Wetland 4, a one hectare lagoon located in Barangay Balabag, Boracay Island. Wetland 4 is one of the nine wetlands that the private sector will rehabilitate and develop with guidance from the DENR and the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force.

The MOA was signed by Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, Aboitiz Equity Ventures Inc. Chief Operating Officer Sabin M. Aboitiz and AboitizFoundation Head Maribeth Marasigan.

The Aboitiz-adopted wetland boasts of three distinct features: recreational using low-impact eco-tourism design; educational by generating awareness on the importance of wetlands; and experiential by allowing the local community, students, and even tourists to participate in the cleanup, maintenance, and protection initiatives.

The rehabilitation and development of Wetland 4, which will convert it into a “Linear Urban Park” will be a three-year project starting in 2018. A key feature of Wetland 4 is the establishment of a plaza which has a cistern underneath that will serve as a flood management measure. The area around the lagoon will be made into a boardwalk, planted with trees and plants endemic to Boracay to rebuild the land’s biodiversity.

In a recent interview, Secretary Cimatu mentioned the prominent role of the Aboitiz Group in the Boracay rehab project. “I am really grateful that businessmen have offered to sponsor the wetlands. It is very costly and [not] in our budget but they are there now,” he said.

Meanwhile, Mr. Aboitiz said they readily agreed to be the DENR’s partner as preservation of the environment is one of the long-standing advocacies of the company.

“The Aboitiz Group fully supports the thrust of the DENR and the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force to rehabilitate the island, in order to ensure the area’s sustainability and prevent further degradation of its rich ecosystem. With government’s support, the Boracay that we will co-create and leave to our children will be a community that is safe, empowered, and sustainable,” Mr. Aboitiz said.

The adoption of the wetland also involves educating the immediate community about the protection, conservation, enhancement, and rehabilitation of Boracay’s natural ecosystems.