Boracay is a lesson of neglect and political will – Panelo
President Duterte is happy at how Boracay turned out to be.
Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo made the statement at the reopening of the world- famous
vacation island resort Friday, after it was closed to tourists for six months to clean it up.
"Boracay is a lesson of political will, as exhibited by PRRD and yet, it is also a lesson of neglect, misfeasance and malfeasance by responsible persons in office," Panelo said.
"The cesspool that was Boracay would not have happened if political will was exhibited by those in authority and if only officials of the island paradise, as well as the stakeholders, operated following the law and the rules and regulations of pertinent government agencies," he added.
The Palace official said the public should take these lessons to heart so Boracay can maintain its reputation.
"It has to take the strong and decisive leadership of the President to put things in order and we should all learn from these lessons so that Boracay will become an attraction not only in this country but in the world," Panelo said.
Malacañang, meanwhile, thanked all those who participated in the sixmonth clean-up drive in Boracay.
"We commend the different Departments for the evolution and development of Boracay, as well as the patience and cooperation of everyone," Panelo noted.
Boracay was ordered closed by President Duterte after calling it a cesspool in April this year. President Duterte approved the recommendation of the departments of Tourism (DOT), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and the Interior and Local Government (DILG) to close Boracay for six months to rehabilitate the island resort and buckled down to work to meet their deadline.
No casinos
The President has banned casinos in Boracay and vowed to distribute land titles to native residents after declaring the island paradise a forestal and agricultural land.
The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) has formally requested the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corp. (Pagcor) to cancel all gaming franchises and provisional licenses issued in Boracay.
The BIATF, led by DENR Secretary Roy Cimatu maintained that playing in casinos is not among the recreational activities tourists can look forward to in the new Boracay Island.
In a letter to Pagcor chair and chief executive officer Andrea Domingo, BIATF cited the “pronouncement of President Duterte that no casino shall be allowed in Boracay” in seeking for the cancellation of Pagcor licenses on the island.
“We shall be grateful for your timely cooperation on this matter for the protection of one of our nation’s most treasured islands,” read the letter signed by BIATF vice chairs Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año and Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat on behalf of the task force.
He said the BIATF would be firm on enforcing Boracay’s daily carrying capacity with preference to “nature-loving tourists” rather than gamblers.
“Now that the island’s waters and beaches are back to their pristine condition, we would rather that true nature lovers come and enjoy them,” he said.
A study commissioned by the DENR showed that Boracay has a carrying capacity of 19,000 tourists per day or about 55,000 people including residents, workers and tourists.
“Let us properly use the island for its real purpose – sun, sea and sand so that what we all worked hard for will not go to waste,” Cimatu pointed out.
The rehabilitation of Boracay is ongoing, Cimatu said and the next focus would be on forest land. (Wth a report from Ellalyn De Vera-Ruiz)