I came across this advocacy group on Facebook called “Boracay Please, Not Bora”. I joined without thinking twice. The name of the group says it all, and I fully support it.

I have since been extending this advocacy to friends who have gotten used to saying “Bora” (some even annoyingly say it as if they have a lollipop stuck in their mouths). In doing so, I have raised some eyebrows and caused some snickering. I won’t even be surprised if some of them say I’m being anal about it, or worse, arrogant. I don’t care. This beautiful, 3-time world’s best tropical beach awardee, is called BORACAY and not BORA.

Perhaps those who still insist that it’s okay to give the place a nickname is not aware that there is an island in the French Polynesia called BORA BORA. So, everytime you say Bora, are you referring to Boracay or Bora Bora? To borrow our national modern hero’s (Manny Pacquiao) TVC expression, “now you know”.

What’s in a name, you ask? A lot. Boracaynons have done a great job taking care of the island all these years. We love the result, despite the fact that it experiences garbage problems every now and then because of our own doing (especially those who hold events there and not have the decency to clean up after their mess). Foreigners are still raving about Boracay. Imagine if people get used to calling it Bora instead. Foreigners will get confused. Years hence, Boracay the pristine island in the Philippines, will lose its original name and will be confused with Bora Bora. Or it could be the other way around. But we don’t want that either, do we? We don’t want people getting confused about island names. Let’s give the Boracaynons credit for making Boracay a source of pride in Philippine tourism, at least.

Does Bora really sound cool? Is that why some people still use it? What makes a name cool, anyway? Definitely not because it’s short. Boracay is exotic and unique, which to me is way cooler. If you say it with pride whether to foreigners or to Filipinos who haven’t been to Boracay, that takes it a notch cooler.

This is becoming a big deal because Boracay is now known around the world. Please, let us preserve the island beginning with calling it properly by its name. Then perhaps you can even go further by helping promote it to tourists. After that, take part in finding solutions to its growing garbage problems.

Guys, this is Boracay. Take pride in it. It has helped put us in the global map. You don’t want the map saying “Bora”, do you?