Now that President Duterte has given the order to close Boracay for six months to give it time to be rehabilitated, let not the expected massive rehabilitation distract him from the real problem he needs to face and that made the closure necessary in the first place -the sweeping corruption that made officials blind to the rape and abuse the island suffered with impunity.
Until Duterte pointed out the obvious, that the country's paradise on earth had become one giant cesspool, it is just plain unbelievable that no one among all the officials responsible for maintaining the island's health and environmental integrity ever managed to see anything amiss when it was all there plain to see. Did it have to take the president to notice what was amiss?
The fact that practically every establishment in Boracay, big or small, was found to be a violator in the sweeping and frenzied official scrutiny unleashed by the president's fury only shows the extent of government neglect, which can only be possible if everyone was on the take. Duterte cannot and must not ignore this fact, otherwise what happened in Boracay will happen everywhere else, if it has not done so already.
Having already exercised enviable and surprising political will in closing down one of the country's most popular destinations, he can only push that same will to its logical conclusion by going after those responsible for the entire mess. Refusing to go after the culprits, for whatever reason, will only make the closure of Boracay an unfinished business.
The virus that made the collapse of Boracay happen can infect again if ignored and left untouched. Whatever rehabilitated Boracay that will emerge after six months will always remain vulnerable to the gnawing disease unless permanently stamped out by resolute presidential action. It will be tempting to be lulled by a false sense of triumph once Boracay emerges rehabilitated and refreshed. But the lull can only be temporary unless the virus is eliminated.
Besides, the closure of Boracay will not exactly be politically expedient for the president because of the tremendous economic and social cost it will entail. He is bound to make many enemies. He might as well not create any false friends. He needs to go after the politicians and bureaucrats who allowed this to happen. That is the fair and just thing to do.