MANILA, Philippines — President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the P25-billion Boracay Medium-Term Action Plan, which will install safeguards against ecological degradation while also sustaining tourism in the island.
Duterte approved the plan “which will sustain the efforts of the government after the closure” during the 39th Cabinet meeting Monday night, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said Tuesday.
The action plan has four components
- Enforcement of laws on regulation of visitors and hotel accommodations
- Pollution control and prevention through sewerage infrastructure, and solid and liquid waste management
- Rehabilitation and recovery of ecosystems, and sustainability of activities in the island through improvement of roads and public health infrastructure
- and construction of permanent housing program for indigenous people and education facilities
The National Economic and Development Authority earlier said the action plan would be implemented until 2022.
Calling Boracay a “cesspool,” Duterte ordered the closure of the island famous for its white sand beaches for six months from April 2018 to make way for rehabilitation works.
The resort island reopened in October last year with a slew of new restrictions. — Gaea Katreena Cabico