TO ensure ease of doing business, the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) will set up a one-stop shop (OSS) in Boracay for speedy processing of permits in preparation for the island paradise’s reopening to tourists in October.
Situated in the town of Malay, Aklan province, Boracay is the country’s top tourist destination. It has been closed to tourism activities since April 26, and it is currently in the final phase of a massive rehabilitation program to address various environmental problems.
In a news statement issued on Thursday, Environment Secretary Roy A. Cimatu, who also leads the BIATF, said through the OSS, they intend to streamline the process of securing permits for commercial establishments in Boracay.
The OSS is manned by personnel from various agencies comprising the BIATF, namely, the Departments of Environment, (DENR), Tourism, (DOT) and Local Government (DILG).
The OSS will assist business owners in complying with the needed requirements that will enable them to operate when Boracay reopens on October 26.
Cimatu said the DENR had already set up its own OSS in its base operations at Station 3 of Boracay’s White Beach.
The agency provides services such as verification of the status or classification of the land occupied by an establishment and its compliance with easement rules.
The DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) has also assigned its personnel to help evaluate compliance with environmental laws, particularly on clean water, clean air, solid-waste management, and toxic substances and hazardous waste control.
The EMB is currently conducting on-site visits to all business establishments on the island to check on their compliance with various regulations issued by the DENR, including the setting up of sewerage-treatment plants (STPs) for hotels and resorts with more than five rooms.
The DENR’s OSS also allows business owners to verify whether their establishments require an environmental compliance certificate, or ECC, or simply a certificate of non-coverage for establishments with five rooms and below.
Aside from the DENR, establishments also need clearance from the DILG, or the local government unit, regarding their business and sanitation permits.
Once clearances are obtained from both the DENR and DILG, business owners could then seek accreditation from the DOT, subject to the agency’s own requirements or conditions.
Cimatu reminded business owners to secure the necessary permits, licenses, and certification to be allowed to reopen their business establishments at the end of the six-month rehabilitation period.
“The reopening of Boracay does not mean that all establishments will also reopen. They will have to first secure the necessary permits and comply with existing conditions or requirements,” Cimatu said during the third meeting of the BIATF last week.
Earlier, Cimatu issued an order directing all business establishments on the beach fronts, with the exception of establishments with five rooms and below, to put up their own STPs.
Likewise, all business establishments that are not yet connected to Boracay Island Water Co. are required to connect, or put up their own STPs.
Establishments with 50 rooms and above must have their own STPs, while those with 49 rooms and below can pool together resources to put up STPs with appropriate water-treatment capacity.
The BIATF was created to carry out rehabilitation works in Boracay, which, President Duterte earlier described as a “cesspool” due to environmental problems plaguing the island known worldwide for its white-sand beaches.
Last month, or two months into the rehabilitation of Boracay, Cimatu said Boracay can no longer be called a cesspool because of the improved water quality as a result of the effort of the BIATF and the cooperation of various stakeholders on the island.