The BCCI newsletter team met the governor of the province of Aklan, Carlito S. Marquez, in the provincial capitol to interview him on his outlook for the next three years of his term.

Asked about his short term and long term plans for Aklan, the governor launched a brief on the different projects he intends to implement within the next three years. Governor Marquez pointed out, that he has two priority programs for Aklan which he will continue to push as the centerpiece of his administration: Tourism and Agriculture. The governor explained, that the province of Aklan relies heavily on agriculture and is considered the rice granary of the Visayas, hence, Marquez has set his sights on increasing the rice production, particularly the production of hybrid rice which produces a greater yield per area as compared to the traditional variety of rice used by most farmers.

The BCCI newsletter team asked whether this variety would be heavily dependent on chemical fertilizers. Governor Marquez replied that the hybrid rice came from the International Rice Research Institute in Los Banos and that it is not as dependent on fertilizers as it is perceived to be.

Governor Marquez pointed also out, that he will give financial assistance to farmers to fast track the production of abaca given the high demand of this local fiber in the international market. There is already about 100 hectares of land devoted to abaca in Libacao and about 25 hectares in Madalag. The governor has also targeted mango production as a very good source of revenue for the agricultural sector and over 40 hectares of Mangoes were planted in Buruanga for this. Fish production is another pillar of the provincial priority programs, said governor. Earmarked areas are in New Washington and Buruanga, where the government will build fish hatcheries. As to what type of fish they would culture, the governor did not give specific details.

Vegetables for Boracay

The BCCI newsletter team asked governor why only few vegetables for the big Boracay market are produced locally. Governor Marquez admitted that there are efforts among farmers to produce vegetables, but this could not be considered a priority in agriculture. Vegetable growing in Aklan is done by small growers who cannot compete with wholesale vegetable dealers from Batangas, Mindoro and Baguio in term of prices. Added to this, the lack of cold storage facilities for such produce is non-existent in Aklan and would cost millions of pesos for the provincial government which is also beset by poor revenues to support its projects. To address the funding of provincial government projects for tourism and agriculture, the provincial government is pushing for the approval of the increase in real estate taxes which the governor believes would boost revenues for Aklan and provide the much needed funding for its projects. Added to this the provincial government is also banking on a portion of the terminal fees being collected at the jetty ports to support non-tourism related budgetary requirements of the provincial government.

Roads and Power Plant for Tourism

On the tourism side, the governor considers the development of infrastructure, particularly roads that would provide greater access to alternative destinations in the province such as Libacao, the hinterlands of Malay, Tangalan and Boracay.

The BCCI newsletter team asked governor Marquez on specific plans of the provincial government for Boracay Island, which is beset by many problems. The governor pointed out, that he has already identified specific plans for the creation of more job opportunities in the island and the development of low cost housing in Malay to decongest the island of workers and transients. He furthermore sees the establishment of new transport facilities for both land and sea as well as the completion of the circumferential road which has been bogged down by numerous problems brought about by land titling issues, transportation and zoning. For this he works closely with the congressman.

Asked, if he would be part of a multi-level planning group to solve Boracay’s sea transport situation, the governor agreed to be a part of it. He said, that this must involve all levels of the government as well the private and business sector, as this project is too big to solve for the province alone. As an alternative, Marquez is looking at setting up a new port with the assistance of the national government to be used during the “habagat “season.

Governor Marquez also said that he is looking into the possibility of setting up a hydroelectric power plant in Madalag, Libacao, which would provide an alternative power source, especially for Boracay which now consumes on average 8 MV of electricity.

How to Solve Boracay’s Problems

The BCCI newsletter team asked what the provincial government can do to help solve Boracay’s many problems such as sewage, solid waste disposal, land titling issue and zoning, low electrical power and a host of other problems brought about by poor management and development of the island. Governor Marquez reiterated that his office would be more than happy to sit down with all stakeholders, including the local government to discuss and come up with viable solutions to the problems. Cooperation is a must and the governor would only be too happy to see that this happens. The governor said that he hopes to invest the 15% share of the environmental fee for improvement of Boracay’s main road, classified as a provincial road, once the share of the province of Aklan has been released by the municipality of Malay. Although he lost in the municipality of Malay where the island of Boracay belongs to, Marquez remains optimistic that the next three years of his term would counter the negative popularity he has in this municipality through solid implementation of his programs.

Carabao Island and an Authority

The BCCI newsletter team asked governor Marquez at the end of the discussion what he thinks about the announcement made by the Department of Tourism on the development of Carabao Island as the next Boracay. The governor said that this would actually be very good for Boracay as this would decongest the island and in a way relieve the island of some of its current problems. The only problem he has, the governor said, is that he does not  understand why the national government announces now a ‘next Boracay’ instead focusing in upgrading Boracay’s infrastructure first. Governor Marquez states: “Carabao Island will also encounter the same problems that Boracay has if it is not managed properly.”

The last question of the BCCI newsletter team was if he would support an authority for Boracay that would manage the island like a profit oriented corporation. The governor said that he sees no problem with an authority that would oversee the proper development of Boracay and the implementation of plans and programs that would make tourism development sustainable.