Land-grabbed shorelines

CTALK

- CITO BELTRAN

Why is it that most of the public beaches or shorelines in the Philippines, particularly along popular tourist destinations, are no longer accessible to ordinary Filipinos? Some are either "privately owned" by a person or family or claim to be part of a resort or hotel.

You cannot directly go to the beach or shoreline without passing through a hotel or resort establishment and, in order to do so, you are charged anywhere from P150 per person, and you are not allowed to bring any food or drinks or beach accessories, forcing you to patronize the said establishment.

What about the ordinary low-income people or children in the community who were displaced by the property developers and cannot pay the said entrance fee? This is the reality all over southern Luzon, particularly in the provinces of Batangas and Cavite, as well as in some areas in the north.

Adding insult to injury, security guards and employees of these hotels and resorts actually drive away people by the beach or on the water in front of their establishments, claiming the area is part of their property. The situation has now caught the attention and ire of regular Filipinos who are being harassed and prevented access to public areas.

This was a similar concern on the island of Boracay during the Duterte administration. After President Duterte issued the order to clean up the island, the DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu immediately implemented strict zoning rules.