DENR clears Boracay wetland of illegal settlers

MANILA, Philippines — Restoration work will start on an 8.5-hectare wetland in Barangay Manoc-Manoc on Boracay Island.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) said Boracay’s Wetland No. 6, also known as Dead Forest, has been cleared of illegal settlers.

Natividad Bernardino, DENR director and general manager of the Boracay Inter-Agency Rehabilitation Management Group (BIARMG), said 31 families of the Tumandok tribe yesterday transferred to an area covered by the certificates of land ownership awarded to them by the Department of Agrarian Reform in March.

The DENR donated timber from trees felled by Typhoon Ursula for the construction of houses of the tribal community.

The restoration of the wetland will be undertaken by water concessionaire Boracay Tubi System Inc. in accordance with the action plan of the BIARMG.

DENR Secretary and Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force chairman Roy Cimatu had earlier said five of the nine Boracay wetlands identified for rehabilitation have been adopted by private companies for three to five years as part of their corporate social responsibility programs.

Last year, Wetland No. 4 was recovered and converted into a linear park by the Aboitiz Group.

A one-hectare lagoon across D’Mall, one of the busiest areas on the island, is now called Balabag Wetland Park.