With the proper development of beachfronts and seas, the Philippines could be the Mediterranean capital of Asia in 20 years.           

Robert Lim Joseph, chairman emeritus of the National Association of Independent Travel Agencies (Naitas), raised this possibility on the condition that the shores and shorelines of the country remain open to the public.           

Joseph said the Philippine coasts can be developed for local and foreign tourists but opposition of beachfront property owners must be resolved immediately so that they are open to the public.           

The head of the biggest group of travel agencies said the country must exploit its being archipelago and with the longest shoreline in the world that spans 36,289 kilometers or 22,499 miles,  to boost tourism and stir growth in the countryside.

This way,  more areas will be made available for swimming, yachting or boating, jet skiing, scuba diving, water polo and other marine sports, Joseph said.         

He said the shores of the seas are part of the public domain and must be open to the public and cannot be fenced off or declared off limit to others by owners of beachfronts in accordance with the present and the 1987 Constitution, the Civil Code, and the Water Code of the Philippines.           

Joseph said there are enough legal precedents or previous decision of the lower courts and of the High Tribunal, although there are many hard-headed and unscrupulous beachfront owners who refuse to comply with the law by using brute force.           

He said the law is clear that shores of the seas cannot be sold or made available by appropriation to private individuals.           

Right now, many good beaches cannot be developed for tourists because they are claimed to be owned by rich or powerful private persons, who have fenced off and even put guards in their alleged properties, Joseph said.           

He also said that there are shorelines ideal for sailing or yachting which cannot be tapped because beachfront owners have put up private easement or structures into the sea.

The Water Code allows easement for public use of three meters in urban areas, 20 meters in agricultural areas, and 40 meters in forest areas for recreational, navigational, floatage, salvage and fishing purposes.