Protecting Boracay’s White Beach
- 5 hours ago
- 4 min read
As erosion threatens the world’s best beach, Boracay businessman Bong Tirol proposes a science-led solution backed by expert engineering and sustainable financing.
Recently named “Best Beach in the World” by Condé Nast Traveler, White Beach is both a global icon and a fragile coastal system. Today, accelerating coastal erosion threatens the very asset that draws millions of visitors to Boracay each year.
The reality of beach erosion in Boracay, particularly along White Beach, is not new, but this does not make it less alarming.
Year after year, especially during the monsoon season, strong waves and storm events batter the shoreline and strip away sand, leaving the beach fully exposed. Coconut tree roots emerge, along with rocks, debris, and the black and blue pipes sprawled along the otherwise breathtaking stretch of the Philippines’ crown jewel. While erosion is a natural process, the sand does not always return before the next storm, leaving sections of the beach vulnerable to repeated damage that affects both the coastline and the community. At times, intervention is necessary to protect the beach through carefully planned beach nourishment projects.
Yet it is often only when dramatic videos go viral that public attention turns to Boracay’s worsening coastal erosion. When the winds shift and the season changes, the warning signs fade from view and with them, the urgency, until the next major storm hits.
Visitors and friends frequently ask about these visible signs of climate change: Why are coconut tree roots completely exposed? Why are concrete blocks and debris (remnants of the setback demolitions during the island’s rehabilitation) scattered along the beach? And what is being done to prevent or slow further erosion?
Boracay Sun News (BSN) has made multiple attempts to reach the Department of Environment and Natural Resources-Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (DENR-CENRO) to ask how to slow down beach erosion and to understand what measures are being taken to mitigate the problem. Our goal has been to inform readers and highlight government and private-sector efforts to address the issue. DENR-CENRO, the primary frontline unit responsible for enforcing environmental laws, managing natural resources, and implementing community-level programs, has yet to respond to our follow-ups.
We turned to Boracay businessman and scion Bong Tirol, who is at the forefront of the conversation, for this BSN Exclusive.
A director at Shangri-La Boracay and a prominent figure in real estate and hospitality, Tirol manages his family’s commercial leasing estate on the island. Widely respected and deeply rooted in Boracay’s history, he is not one to take the issue of coastal erosion lightly.
He argues that protecting White Beach requires three elements often missing from past efforts: specialized engineering expertise, long-term financing, and public accountability.
According to Tirol, erosion can only be slowed through professional, science-driven coastal engineering, not short-term fixes. “This is not guesswork. We need engineers who specialize in coastal dynamics and beach preservation,” Tirol stresses.
“A world-class beach deserves world-class expertise.”
Tirol emphasizes the need to engage engineering services with proven experience in beach nourishment, sand-retention systems, and low-impact coastal interventions, similar to those used in leading international destinations.
Short-Term Actions: Laying the Foundation
Engage specialized coastal engineering firmsTirol calls for hiring teams with demonstrated expertise in tropical island erosion, sediment transport modeling, and reef-sensitive design.
Immediate sand preservation measuresPriority should be given to retaining existing sand through low-impact, submerged structures and reef-friendly interventions, rather than repeated sand dumping.
Enforce setback and use regulationsStrict enforcement of shoreline setbacks and limits on mechanical beach stress remains essential.
Long-Term Solution: Engineering + Sustainable Financing
Tirol proposes a dedicated long-term coastal engineering program for Boracay, led by independent, specialized engineers, with continuous monitoring, adaptive management, and public reporting.
“Finance it sustainably and fairly.”
Rather than one-off government spending, Tirol supports a long-term, shared-financing model:
Minimal Environmental User FeesA small, clearly communicated fee collected from tourists—similar to sustainability fees in other global destinations—earmarked exclusively for coastal protection and environmental rehabilitation.
Local Government SubsidyThe local government could co-finance the initiative by allocating a portion of tourism-related revenues.
Stakeholder Contributions with GuaranteesContributions from resorts, businesses, and landowners should be ring-fenced, with legal guarantees that funds are used solely for erosion mitigation.
“Tourists are willing to contribute if they know exactly what they’re paying for,” Tirol notes. “And stakeholders will support it if transparency and accountability are guaranteed.”
Accountability and Transparency: Non-Negotiable
At the core of Tirol’s proposal is a transparent governance framework, including independent auditing of all collected funds, public disclosure of expenditures and project milestones, scientific reporting on beach conditions and outcomes, and stakeholder representation in oversight committees. This ensures that every peso collected directly protects the resource that sustains Boracay’s economy.
Why this Model Could Work
Boracay’s status as the world’s best beach uniquely positions it to adopt a visitor-supported sustainability model, one already accepted in other premier destinations.
By combining specialized coastal engineering, long-term transparent financing, and shared responsibility among government, tourists, and stakeholders, Boracay can move from reactive fixes to lasting resilience.
When asked whether he already had a team in mind, Tirol confirms, “I have been in touch with some oceanographers and coastal engineering specialists that I have worked with back in the day when we were doing Shangri-La Boracay.”
As this BSN exclusive highlights, Bong Tirol’s vision is not just about saving sand, it is about future-proofing Boracay itself.
Gold Coast Beach Nourishment Project
Since the 1960s, the Gold Coast has undertaken beach nourishment to widen beaches, improve resilience to storms and erosion, and create more usable public shoreline. Sand is placed at targeted sites to mimic natural coastal processes, allowing it to shift in response to waves and water levels.
Bong Tirol believes that Boracay can draw important lessons from the Gold Coast model, particularly in aligning engineering, policy, and financing. But Tirol is clear that Boracay must adapt the principle, not replicate the scale.
“Learn from global models without copying them blindly,” says Tirol. “Boracay doesn’t need massive sand pumps; it needs smart engineering that keeps sand in place.”
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