6-month Boracay closure to cost government P20 billion

MANILA, Philippines — The government may lose P18 billion to P20 billion in gross receipts or income while 35,000 workers will be displaced if Boracay is shut down for six months, thus the need to fast-track its rehabilitation.

In a press briefing at Malacañang, Interior and Local Government Assistant Secretary Epimaco Densing III said “it is not to the interest of everybody to go the full six months” and “we have to fast-track everything.”

“The only way to be able to do this is to ask everybody, all the stakeholders, to be part of the whole rehabilitation process,” he added. 

Densing said the soft opening of the island might take place in three to four months if the cleanup process is fast-tracked. 

“We’ve been receiving volunteers outside of Boracay that they want to go to the island and help in the whole (rehabilitation) process. So if everybody comes into the picture, we can cut the process by at least two months,” the interior official said. 

On Wednesday, President Duterte approved the recommendation of the inter-agency task force to close Boracay for six months starting April 26 to allow the government to rehabilitate the island, which is visited by about two million tourists every year. 

What about the workers?

Densing said the closure would affect about 35,000 workers. To mitigate the impact of the closure on workers, the Duterte administration will activate P2 billion in calamity funds, presidential spokesman Harry Roque said.

Duterte is expected to issue a proclamation declaring a state of calamity in Boracay to allow the release of the funds.

Roque said not all workers would be displaced because the rehabilitation efforts would require manpower. 

“They will just have to change jobs for the time being,” Roque said. 

Jose Clemente III, president of the Tourism Congress of the Philippines, said they also have 30,000 workers who will be affected by the closure.

Clemente pointed out the details on how the workers will be assisted should be done immediately as they only have 20 days left before shutdown.

Clemente said the remaining 20 days before the closure of Boracay is not enough for them to come up with remedies as far as bookings from foreign and domestic travelers are concerned. 

He added they will have a hard time trying to determine alternative destinations to offer their clients since bookings are done in advance.

Clemente said they are “prepared to lose the bookings and the arrivals” even as they are flooded with complaints from foreign travelers, especially from Chinese, Koreans and some Europeans who have booked holidays in Boracay.

Clemente said they have to do what they can to save Boracay from foreign markets and lessen the impact of the closure even as he revealed that the Department of Tourism (DOT) has yet to give assistance as far as cancellations are concerned. ?He said the DOT is repeatedly issuing “motherhood statements” like encouraging tourists to look for other destinations while Boracay is closed. 

Clemente reiterated his appeal to give them more time to adjust and reconsider the April 26 deadline as he hopes that they could get an audience with Duterte.

Tourism assistant secretary Frederick Alegre admitted the rehabilitation would require all stakeholders to make sacrifices. 

“We have to swallow the bitter pill if we wish to sustain and protect the island of Boracay. We want to bring it back to its paradise feel that we saw in the ‘80s. It may not be achieved, but we know that in doing this cleanup and rehab as ordered by the President, more people will come to Boracay,” Alegre said. – Mayen Jaymalin, Marvin Sy

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