AFTER a meeting with his Department Secretaries involved in the island resort’s operation on April 4, 2018, President Rodrigo R. Duterte ordered the closure of Boracay for rehabilitation effective April 26, 2018.
He released last week Proclamation No. 475, s. 2018 that declared a state of calamity in the barangays of Balabag, Manoc-Manoc and Yapak (island of Boracay) in the municipality of Malay, Aklan, and the temporarily closure of the island as a tourist destination.
The President of the Philippines, as chief executive, has the mandate to supervise local governments through the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) but there is no provision for the national government to take over any local government unit. Under the law, local governments which include provinces, cities and municipalities have autonomous status as provided for under Republic Act 7160 otherwise known as the Local Government Code of 1991.
Being autonomous means they are self-governing and can function independently. But with the proclamation of a “state of calamity” presidential authority has taken over from the Municipality of Malay the management and control of the island’s three barangays, even if the local government that has jurisdiction on Boracay had already begun addressing the issues surrounding the island.
As early as Feb. 17, 2018, the Malay government had formulated a six-month action plan to serve as checklist for stakeholders and track the progress of issues confronting Boracay.
Implemented by the Malay government on Boracay’s rehab were the following programs:
1) An inventory of landowners and structures in Boracay and dialogue with stakeholders and landowners;
2) It intensified the ID system as a means of in-migration control;
3) A memorandum was issued by Malay directing utility providers to abide by the local ordinance that ordered the disconnection of water, power and telephone lines of buildings or structures with no permits;
4) Under Oplan Hawan, the local government had demolished illegal structures in Puka Beach and Long Beach;
5) On March 13, 2018 a moratorium in building construction was imposed, with the exemption of local and national government projects or repairs on institutional centers vital to the community, and those compliant with environmental laws; and
6) the Municipal Mayor issued an order for the closure of businesses without permits
Why should the national government still interfere in a local government issue of rehab and maintenance of its own barangays even if it happens to be a resort island?
With its proclamation of Boracay as under a “state of calamity”, the national government has allocated P2 billion from its calamity fund for rehab of the island, out of which the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) asked P300 million for its own program to help displaced workers.
The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) requested another P2 billion to provide its own cash and livelihood assistance to workers who will be out of work, especially to the 19,000 registered and 17,000 informal workers directly affected by the closure. DSWD will teach them new skills to find jobs in other industries.
The closure of Boracay will cost the economy P1.96 billion according to government, but the private sector has its own estimate of losses in tourism revenues alone at P50 billion.
It turned out that intruding into the domain of local government by the national government on this Boracay issue, aside from its own outlays, has become very costly for local business and residents of the paradise island.
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Historical Quote of the Week
“The first protestant barrio in the country is Barangay Calvario in Janiuay, Iloilo.” (For comments or reactions, please e-mail to jnoveracompany@yahoo.com)/PN
