BORACAY – The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is looking into the possibility of increasing Boracay Island’s carrying capacity so more people can visit this world-famous tourist destination.
Boracay’s carrying capacity at present is about 19,000 people daily but it’s time to study such matter as the government-led rehabilitation of the island resort considerably improved conditions so even previously shunned areas there are beginning to attract tourists, according to DENR secretary Roy Cimatu.
“If there’s a study, the carrying capacity might be increased,” he said during a virtual press conference on tourism in Boracay Island recently.
Cimatu said he will ask DENR’s Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau (ERDB) to study if the number of people who visited Boracay increased, noting that the rehabilitation boosted this island’s capacity to accommodate tourists.
Tourists mainly flocked to Boracay’s western portion before the government began rehabilitating the island.
“This time, however, there are tourists even in Boracay’s eastern portion,” said Cimatu.
He noted such portion used to be notorious for its cesspool-like beach and waters.
“It’s clean there already,” said Cimatu.
The eastern portion already has tourist facilities as well, he added.
In 2018, the government began rehabilitating Boracay Island to prevent further environmental degradation there.
Among the rehabilitative activities were cleaning up waters, enforcing easement requirements, and improving solid waste management.
Executive Order (EO) No. 53 series of 2018 created the DENR-led Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) to facilitate rehabilitation and ensure ecological sustainability in the island.
BIATF was supposed to exist for two years only but EO 115 series of 2020 extended this task force’s term for another year, enabling it to operate until May 8, 2021.
However, EO 147 series of 2021 extended BIATF’s term to June 30, 2022. (PNA)
