Those thinking of going to Boracay in June may have to hold off on their plans. Yesterday, the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) said that the government is planning to close the entire island for two months as a way to rehabilitate the popular beach destination.
“Obviously, there are government officials here who are negligent. There are buildings that were erected without permits, no business permits [either]. Some have business permits but no ECC (environmental compliance certificates),” DILG officer-in-charge Eduardo Año told ABS-CBN News in Filipino.
According to Año, about 800 establishments are violating the 25-plus-5-meter easement, which means they are too close to the shoreline. If approved, Boracay will be closed to tourists from June 1 and end on July 31.
During those two months, the government plans to revamp Boracay by improving roads and its drainage system.
“Of course we’ll be fixing roads, drainage, and then we’ll also take down [some establishments] so it will be dangerous for tourists who might get hit while demolition is going on,” Department of Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said in Filipino.
Apart from the closure, the DILG said in a statement on Wednesday that they would also like to place Boracay under a state of calamity for six months. The government will also stop the processing of new and expiring accreditation certificates to Boracay establishments that violate environmental laws.
In 2016, about 1.7 million tourists visited Boracay. The island has become increasingly commercialized in the past years, which has polluted its waters.
But the developers just keep coming.
In December, Boracay got its very first cinema, which is located inside a mall that opened in February 2017.
Just last month, the mall’s developers announced that they plan to build the largest hotel in the Philippines in Boracay. The hotel will have 1001 rooms and will be inside a new township in the island.
