Tycoon offers to build 2nd Boracay drainage

Filipino-Chinese tycoon Lucio Tan is reportedly willing to help the government in the rehabilitation of Boracay by offering to build a second drainage system in the popular tourist destination.

Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said Tan, who owns a water company in the island, made the proposal in a letter recently sent to concerned government agencies.

“There was a letter from Lucio Tan, who has Boracay 2B there. They supply water but do not have a sewerage system. He said he would build a drainage system,” Roque said in an interview with DZMM.

“The drainage system will connect to a wastewater treatment (facility) so it means, the rainwater, other water discharge will first be treated, instead of directly being disposed to the sea,” he added.

Jonas Leones, undersecretary of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources, said Tan’s drainage system proposal was good but asked his company to provide more details of the project.

Apart from Tan’s Boracay 2B, the other water company in Boracay is Boracay Island Water Company Inc. which has its own drainage system for rainwater, according to Leones.

An inter-agency task force recently recommended a six-month closure of Boracay starting April 26 to give way to rehabilitation efforts in the island.

Roque, in a another radio interview, said the President has yet to decide on the latest recommendation of the task force that included Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, and Interior and Department of Interior and Local Government officer-in-charge Eduardo Año.

The President earlier hinted he was inclined to support a temporary closure of Boracay to allow the government to rehabilitate the island which he described as a “cesspool.”