Gov’t to release P490M for Boracay roads rehab

MANILA — The government said yesterday it will release more than P400 million for the rehabilitation of world-famous Boracay Island, which has been closed down for six months for a major clean up.

At a press conference, Budget Secretary Benjamin Diokno said his department will shell out P490 million for the repair of the whole Boracay Circumferential Road in Aklan during the half-year closure of the island.

The reconstruction project will be done by the Department of Public Works and Highways, whose fund request is now subject to the approval of the Office of the President. The project will incorporate an improved drainage and sewerage system along the main road to contain in-land flooding.

“The DBM has allotted P50 million for the improvement of Boracay Circumferential Road in the 2018 General Appropriations Act and will augment an additional P490 million to fast-track project completion,” Diokno said.

Boracay — which is known for its powdery white sand and rich water sports — recently grabbed the headlines after President Rodrigo Duterte called the Philippines’ top tourist draw a “cesspool.”

The firebrand had blamed what he called excessive tourism and development for Boracay’s environmental woes, with many businesses polluting the island’s surrounding waters by discharging waste directly into the sea.

Boracay has attracted millions of tourists and is particularly popular with Chinese and South Korean visitors, which are the largest source markets for the Philippines tourism industry.

Officials say closing Boracay could displace thousands of workers and wipe out around P1.96 billion in revenues, as the holiday hotspot’s economy is almost entirely dependent on tourism.

According to Diokno, the government recently released P448 million to the Labor department to cover financial assistance for the 17,735 affected residents and workers in Boracay.