Boracay mess: Aklan mayor ready to face probe

ILOILO CITY, Philippines — The mayor of Malay town in Aklan has assured the public that he is ready to face any investigation into the issues hounding Boracay.

Mayor Ceciron Cawaling will face any charges that may be filed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG), his executive assistant Rowen Aguirre said yesterday.

“If there would be cases against us, we will face it. If they can prove it, we are willing to suffer the consequences,” Aguirre said.“They have to do it. Talk is cheap.”

Aguirre said Cawaling was in Metro Manila yesterday for a scheduled checkup at St. Luke’s Hospital.

Among the issues thrown at the Malay municipal government was the allocation of environmental fees collected from tourists, which reportedly amounted to around P1 billion in 10 years. The municipal government has been collecting P75 per tourist since 2012.

Aguirre raised doubts if P1 billion had been collected. He said 15 percent accrues to the Aklan provincial government while 75 percent goes to a fund used for Malay’s solid waste management program.

Aguirre said they could present records on how environmental fees are spent. “Even the COA (Commission on Audit) checks our records,” he said.

The DILG is set to investigate how Boracay’s environmental fees had been spent, saying it should have been allocated to clean up the island.

Aguirre said they would cooperate with concerned agencies in the rehabilitation of Boracay.

“We would help in every way we can. We would also be coordinating with the national government for assistance to those who will be affected,” he said.

However, Aguirre said they have  not seen any concrete plan on how the government would manage the closure of the island to tourists.

Aguirre said they received only a two-page recommendation letter.