What’s the DILG and DENR Doing to ‘Improve Situation’ in El Nido?
All Mara Banson wanted to do was to enjoy sights and tour El Nido, one of the most popular destinations in the country, with her family. But what was supposed to be a dream family vacation soon became a nightmare.
On July 13, the executive leadership coach posted what happened on Facebook: “Our family of 25 just returned from El Nido last week, and a staggering 16 of us got terribly sick! Our children suffered from vomiting, and adults experienced severe watery stools. We were diligent—we only drank bottled water and never used sink water to brush our teeth. It could have come from swimming in contaminated waters, or perhaps from what was used to wash utensils and plates where we ate.”
Banson asked, “Why hasn’t the local government done something significant to fix this ongoing [dirty water] crisis with articles dating back to 2018?” She added that she felt it “[her] “responsibility to warn everyone about the serious water problem in El Nido, Palawan, before you plan your trip,” although she felt heartbroken doing so.
The post was up and visible to all for a few days, but Banson has since locked her profile.
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Banson’s case comes on the heels of a similar report by award-winning singer and artists’ rights advocate Celeste Legaspi, who had similarly fallen ill, along with family members, during their vacation in El Nido, despite using only bottled water.
Highly contaminated areas
According to samples taken on June 3, 2025 by the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB)-Mimaropa, a unit of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), several areas in Bacuit Bay exceeded the standard water quality guidelines for fecal coliform level of 100 most probable number (MPN) per 100 milliliters (mL). These areas include Masagana (5,400), Maligaya (170), Buena Suerte (280), Lugadya (350), Corong-Corong Cove 1 (1100), Corong-Corong Cove 2 (350), Corong-Corong Cove 3 (220). People can safely swim in bodies of water which have a fecal coliform level of up to 100 MPN/100 mL only.
All of outfalls tested by the EMB on April 8, 2025 also showed alarming levels of fecal coliform, which show that effluents discharged from El Nido town continue to be untreated. These are: Corong-Corong outfall at 1,100 MPN/100 mL; El Nido Estero Outfall (170,000); Masagan Outfall 1 (1.6 million); Masagana Outfall 2 (780); and Cabugao Outfall (130,000).
El Nido
All the water sample results are available on the EMB-Mimaropa’s website.
Among tourist destinations in Bacuit Bay, Helicopter Island had the highest fecal coliform level at 920 MPN/100 mL, followed by the Secret Lagoon (540), and Pasandigan Beach (110). The water sample tests were made on February 18, 2025.
What government is doing
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Juanito Victor “Jonvic” Remulla, said he intends to discuss the issue with the incoming governor of Palawan, Amy Alvarez, particularly ways to improve the environment, especially in El Nido. The secretary said he was aware of the cases of tourists falling ill in the tourist town due to the poor water quality, despite the presence of a sewerage treatment plant (STP).
Despite the El Nido facility being a model for all STPs in the country, only about three percent of households in El nido town are connected to the municipality’s STP.
“(Former) Governor (Pepito) Alvarez is committed to improving the situation,” Remulla added. “We had a long conversation [recently]; the new governor is his daughter and they’re very particular about El Nido, so they’re going to work on that.”
Remulla said he is planning to go to El Nido himself this July to “personally attend” to the matter. He said he will discuss the issue of water quality in El Nido with the new governor.
“If DENR finds something wrong, they have the power to put a stop to it and put in remedial measures,” Remulla said.
Coron also affected
Meanwhile, several areas around Coron Bay also showed excessive fecal coliform levels after water sample tests were taken on April 15, 2025. Barangay 3 (Zipline Reclamation Area) had the highest contamination levels at 920 MPN/100 mL, followed by Brgy. 2 (Comesaria) at 540, Brgy. 1 (Bakawan) at 240, Brgy. 5 (Sea Drive-Bancuang Baba) at 240, Brgy. Guadalupe (between CIPC and RCA) at 240, Sitio Bayo Bayo 2 (130/100), Brgy. Tagumpay (130), and Brgy. 6 (Sitio Jolo Governor’s Drive) at 130.
The Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (Tieza) has allocated P500 million for the construction of an STP in Coron this year. The government firm will post the bidding announcement for the project’s detailed engineering and design within the month, Tieza COO Mark T. Lapid said.
In a public advisory on April 8, 2025, the Municipal Health Office of El Nido issued a warning about rising cases of diarrhea in the municipality, after monitoring online and social media comments.
“Ensure that the water you drink is safe and clean,” the health office advised. “If you are unsure about the quality of the water, bring it to a rolling boil for at least one minute or purchase commercial water that has been filtered safely.”
In 2022, the Department of Health-Mimaropa confirmed 567 cases of diarrhea among tourists in El Nido, as well as the presence of e.coli bacteria in various businesses, water refill stations, and the local water distribution system. Over the years, social media has been filled with posts from tourists having fallen ill in El Nido. Even travel guide platform Tripadvisor has a separate topic on it from members.
Latest official LGU data show that El Nido attracted half a million tourists in 2023, while 341,546 tourists visited Coron in 2024.
