BORACAY – As the half-year rehabilitation of this famed island destination has come to a homestretch, government preparations for its reopening are in full blast.
The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force will hold a dry run from Oct. 15 to 25 for the island’s scheduled reopening on Oct. 26.
During the dry run, the island will be opened for local tourists, with the government giving priority to Aklanons.
The dry run will help the task force assess what else must be done before the government reopens Boracay to all tourists.
“Operation of the one-stop shop for requirements has been extended from Aug. 25 to Sept. 7 to allow establishments to comply with requirements,” the task force said in a statement on Thursday.
President Rodrigo Duterte ordered to close the Boracay for six months beginning April 26 after he called the island a “cesspool.”
The closure paved the way for the rehabilitation of the island resort known for its white-sand beaches and majestic landscape.
Water pollution, encroachment and solid waste accumulation are among the environmental problems that the government addressed in the island.
“Carrying capacity of the island had been breached, leading to generation of too much waste and deterioration of water quality, among others,” the task force said.
The Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources and the Universityof the Philippines in Los Baños, Laguna conducted a study on Boracay’s carrying capacity.
Results of the study are expected to help the task force develop policies that will ensure the rehabilitation efforts in the island will be sustained. (With a report from PNA/PN)
