BORACAY ISLAND, Malay, Aklan—Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling is defending a resort project at Puka Beach located in Barangay Yapak of this resort island.
This developed after a Facebook account posted photos of the alleged irregularities in the construction of the hotel owned by the Seven Seas Boracay Property Inc. (SSBPI).
Cawaling said it immediately conducted an investigation and asked SSBPI officials for comment.
“The project manager of the SSBPI said the construction of precast concrete panels and sand bags were a preemptive preparation against Typhoon Agaton, which struck the Philippines on January 2 this year,” Cawaling said in a letter dated January 10.
Many resorts in Boracay have undertaken massive preemptive preparation after earlier Typhoon Urduja flooded this resort island in December 2017.
“We also conducted an inspection and we were able to prove the SSBPI has complied with the local ordinance and environmental laws, especially the 25+5 easement regulation in Boracay prior to their construction,” Cawaling added.
The SSBPI has lamented that the trending photos of the construction at Puka Beach was taken in an angle that does not show the whole construction of the perimeter.
The Puka Beach was named by the Trip Advisor recently as one of the 12 crystal-clear beaches in the world. In 2013 CNN also named Puka Beach as one of the three most beautiful beaches in the country.
For the islanders or local residents, Puka Beach was being considered as the last bastion of underdeveloped Boracay.