DESPITE calls for the government not to push through with its planned closure of Boracay Island, the Department of Tourism (DOT) welcomed the local government of Aklan and the island’s stakeholders’ commitment to support the rehabilitation of the popular tourism destination.
Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores spoke before the interagency Task Force Boracay on Thursday and presented the stakeholders’ “pledge of commitment…to address pressing concerns on the island,” a news statement from the DOT said.
“We are one with you in the need to balance tourism development with environmental protection and preservation. We recognize the fact that the status of Boracay as the premier destination of our country can only be maintained by the conscious and determined efforts of all stakeholders to immediately undertake the necessary mitigating measures to resolve the critical environmental problems arising from the rapid and unregulated growth of our local tourism industry,” part of the letter to President Duterte said.
The 42 signatories of the letter include tourism industry associations, other business groups and local government units. Among these are the Boracay Foundation Inc., Chambers of Commerce and Industry of Boracay and Kalibo, various local executive leagues, labor groups and other stakeholders, the DOT said.
“We welcome the initiative of Governor Miraflores to fly here to Manila to personally meet with us and present their plan of action for their beloved Boracay,” said Tourism Secretary Wanda Corazon T. Teo. “The pledge of commitment, if carried out according to schedule, would serve to shorten the duration of the rehabilitation.”
This developed as Interior Assistant Secretary for Plans and Programs Epimaco V. Densing III confirmed that the task force already sent its recommendation to the President to close the island for six months, starting on April 26. “Yes [it’s the same recommendation as before]. There’s already an official written recommendation to the President transmitted today [Friday],” said Densing in a text message to the BusinessMirror.
He added that the photo of the letter from the three secretaries—Teo, Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu and Interior Officer in Charge Eduardo M. Año—containing said recommendation, which has gone viral, was “authentic.” The letter, sent through Executive Secretary Salvador C. Medialdea, was signed by Año on Friday morning. Densing expressed hope the announcement by the President will be made “soonest.”
Meanwhile, Miraflores and industry stakeholders have also been united in pleading to Duterte not to close Boracay. In a joint news conference on Thursday morning, the stakeholders warned of massive unemployment and loss of revenues, including taxes paid to the government, if the island is closed. (See, “Boracay closure could lead to government’s loss of over P6.7 billion in taxes,” in the BusinessMirror, March 23, 2018.”)
In an interview with CNN Philippines on Thursday evening, Miraflores said the local and provincial governments have committed to clean up the island’s drainage system by May 31, as part of their pledge to the task force and to the President. He also revealed that business tycoon Lucio Tan has offered to assist in the rehabilitation of the existing drainage system.
He said he attended the task force meeting to show what the province of Aklan, the local government of Malay and island stakeholders are doing to help speed up the rehabilitation of Boracay. “We’ve already substantially completed the inspection, the opening up of this drainage system, now the sealing of the discharges of these establishments into the drainage system and we are very confident by May 31, we can finish this on time and show that the e. coli count in that beach [Bulabog] can be reduced to what is the standard,” he said.
He added, “We have submitted our letter of appeal and we are asking for the reconsideration of the interagency group [not to close the island]. [But] we will continue with our rehabilitation, whether it is closed or not, together with stakeholders.”
The Aklan governor also presented mitigating measures to address the sewerage problem; solid-waste management issues; the demolition of illegal structures in forestlands, wetlands and easement areas; completion of a circumferential road; and decongestion of traffic.
Erring establishments violating the 25+5 easement rule have already initiated self-demolition, allowed the reclamation of the sidewalk on the main road, and removed illegally parked vehicles, the DOT said, citing Miraflores’s presentation.