Duterte backs
is your decision I will support you. Bahalaka ( It’s up to you). You just make the recommendation,” Duterte said in his speech.
all right and in consonance with the (government’s plan to rehabilitate Boracay), diretsona (let’s go with it). He said it will take about something like six months. Sabiko (I told him), ‘then do it.’ Kayomanrinangnagsira ng Boracay hindimankami (They ruined Boracay, it’s not us),” he added.
The DILG, the Department Environment and Natural Resources ( DENR) and the Department of Tourism had recommended the closure of Boracay island in Malay, Aklan for a maximum of one year.
On Monday, March 19, Palace spokesman Harry Roque Jr. gave assurance that there would be no “permanent closure” of Boracay.
Duterte ordered the creation of an interagency task force to rehabilitate Boracay after threatening on February 9 to close the island, which he described as a cesspool because of its waste management and sewage woes.
The President gave the task force six months to come up with recommendations on how to rehabilitate the island.
The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry warned that about P56 billion in tourism receipts would be lost while more than 17,000 people would lose their jobs if the island is shut down for a year.
Boracay generates two out of three jobs in Western Visayas region, according to the Tourism department.
House panel agrees
The House tourism committee on Thursday recommended the temporary closure of Boracay island on top of imposing a moratorium on business permits and construction of buildings om the said island known for its soft, white sand and long coastline.
Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez of Leyte, chairman of the House Committee on Tourism, made the announcement a day after President Duterte expressed support to the proposal of Año to close Boracay island for a year.
“Our committee report is for temporary closure of the Boracay island in order to address the discharging untreated waste water into the beach. Wastewater dumping is an ecological disaster, major health hazard and a serious threat to the reputation and brand of Boracay. As for the time of closure, we are yet to determine it because that timeline would depend on an action plan from the government,” TorresGomez told reporters.
“Our point of reference during our committee’s inquiry dates back to 2008 until present day, and we discovered that laws were not implemented, businesses were not regulated….everyone just operated like a mom-and-pop store. I would say the local government has a lot to do with how Boracay has turned into,” Torres-Gomez added.
Among the recommended actions of the House tourism panel were: making an inventory of all pipes throwing wastewater into the sea; tracing drainage pipes; launching a crackdown on all illegal sewerage connections and unwarranted permits issued by the local government and the DENR; and and business establishments.
Torres-Gomez noted that while the closure of Boracay island would mean P5 billion worth of losses a month, the sustainability of the island should be prioritized.
“Our committee has put more weight on the long term viability of Boracay as against the economic, collateral damage that comes with closing its doors to tourists. We’d like to express empathy to those who will be affected by the closure, but this [closure] is like a bitter pill that needs to be swallowed to cure a disease. Otherwise, we would not have Boracay to speak of a decade from now,” Torres-Gomez pointed out.
No to casino
the House resolution that prompted the House to probe Boracay’s environmental woes, echoed Torres-Gomez.
Sarmiento also said an island like Boracay where a lot of families spend time on was not an ideal place to host a casino venture.
He was referring to the proposed casino resort of Macau’s Galaxy Entertainment and its Filipino partner, Leisure and Resorts World Corp. in Boracay, which is expected to open in 2019.
“We already have a lot of nice casinos here in Manila. Boracay is an island, frequented by families. We do not need a casino there,” Sarmiento said in an interview.
Torres-Gomez called for the passage of a Philippine Sustainable Tourism Act that would unify all pertinent laws, presidential decrees and local government ordinances.
“Authorities have not been on the same page yet, that’s why this bill needs to be passed,” TorresGomez added.