The Philippines’ famous Boracay island finally reopened earlier this morning to much fanfare. But one guy who’s probably not in such a celebratory mood is its Mayor Cicero Cawaling, who was suspended from his position by the Ombudsman yesterday.
Cawaling is the mayor of Malay, Aklan, which has jurisdiction over Boracay. According to GMA News, the Ombudsman’s order states that he will be suspended for 6 months for the pollution and congestion the island faced.
Complaints filed by Department of Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Epimaco Densing III allege that Cawaling allowed business to operate even without the necessary requirements, leading to environmental problems.
Apart from the mayor, Densing also filed criminal and administrative cases against 16 other officials for the same reason, the Philippine Star reported.
Boracay’s six-month closure that started in April was brought about by the massive overdevelopment that has plagued the popular tourist spot for years. Effects of this overdevelopment include water pollution, inefficient waste management, and overpopulation.
Most agreed that it needed to undergo a rehabilitation but many questioned whether a complete shutdown was necessary, especially because it would affect the livelihood of those living there.
READ: Boracay by the numbers: 6 months, 30,000 jobs, 1 very uncertain future
The government decided to push through with it anyway, which leads us to today’s reopening.
According to ABS-CBN News, the beach is very different from how it used to look. The water is no longer lined with colorful sailboats and the shore is no longer filled with vendors.
The nightlife will likely be quite different too, as the island will now be more strict about prohibiting drinking and smoking on the beach.
Parties won’t be as raging either because the government will now limit the number of people on the island to 19,215 and the number of tourist arrivals to 6,405 a day, the Philippine Star reported.
And the changes are far from over. Last month, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said that today’s opening is just “phase 1” and that the island’s rehabilitation will continue until December next year.
Still, many are already very excited about visiting Boracay once again, with the island now trending on Philippine Twitter.
Do you plan to visit Boracay any time soon? Let us know in the comments below or tweet us @CoconutsManila.
