BORACAY ISLAND, Aklan — Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu said cleanup activities in Boracay will continue this Holy Week.
Cleanup activities here are being fast-tracked to comply with the order of President Rodrigo Duterte to address the environmental problems on the tourist island in six months, he said.
“We have five months to go. We have to fast track already,” Cimatu said in a media interview Tuesday.
He said the priority is to solve the island’s drainage and sewerage system problems, as well as to continue the crackdown on illegal establishments on easements, and buildings encroaching on forestland and wetlands.
As of March 23, the DENR has already issued 74 notices to establishments encroaching on forestlands and wetlands to vacate.
Cimatu also noted the actions undertaken by the local stakeholders in solving the problems plaguing the island in the past month.
Businesses that voluntarily vacated and demolished their illegal structures are a good indication, he said.
Cimatu said there is no final decision yet on the proposed six months total closure of Boracay as recommended by the inter-agency group composed of DENR, Departments of Tourism and of Interior and Local Government.
He said the final decision will come from President Duterte. “We are still waiting for it,” he said.
But once the recommendation of the inter-agency is approved, the island could still be reopened for tourists sooner than six months, Cimatu added.
Groups of businesses on the island earlier expressed their objection to the proposed six months total closure due to its expected economic impact. More than 17,000 workers are also expected to lose their jobs if the closure is implemented.
Cimatu also joined Tuesday’s inspection of some areas of the island, particularly Bulabog Beach.
Meanwhile, Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores urged all the stakeholders of the island to cooperate with the cleanup.
“All stakeholders in Boracay must unite as one. This is an opportunity for us to do what is proper to the island,” he said.
If the closure will push through, their target is to shorten the period in the shortest possible. (PNA)