BORACAY ISLAND, Aklan — This world-famous island may be reopened to tourists by August if six major benchmarks, mostly involving Bulabog Beach, will be achieved.
Assistant Secretary Epimaco Densing III of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) during a press briefing in Boracay on Tuesday said a soft opening for Boracay could be done in the next three to four months if the local government and the stakeholders here could meet certain standards concerning water discharge, solid waste management, cleaning of drainage, 100 percent easement compliance, wetlands recovery and road widening.
The island is ordered closed to tourists for six months to give way to its rehabilitation starting April 26.
To shorten the closure period, the water discharge in Bulabog Beach should be within the standards of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) by July. Densing said water discharge would be checked during the whole month of July.
By the end of the same month, the sanitary landfill should be zero garbage too, to address the solid waste management problem in the island.
The rehabilitation of the Bulabog drainage system must also be done by the end of April or early May.
In the next three to four months, all of the violating establishment within the 25 plus 5-meter beach easement shall also be dismantled.
At least three of the five wetlands which have been reclaimed with structures shall also be recovered, said Densing.
Of the nine wetlands of Boracay, only four still exists, according to the DENR presentation.
At least 70 percent of the road widening project in the island shall also be completed.
“If these standards could be achieved, the island could be reopened even before six months,” he said.
He, however, clarified that these would still be subject to approval by the three secretaries of the interagency for Boracay comprised of the Departments of Tourism (DOT), of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) and DENR.
Meanwhile, Tourism Undersecretary Kat de Castro said only DOT-accredited resorts and hotels would be allowed to operate during the soft opening.
She said only a minimum number of tourists shall be allowed during the soft opening.
DOT Assistant Secretary Frederick Alegre also said the interagency has been working to rehabilitate the island even before the closure period started.
Alegre said the DOT is confident that the rehabilitation could be done faster than six months. (PNA)
