ILOILO City – The reemployment of Boracay workers who were displaced when the island was closed on April 26 for six months of rehabilitation should not be overlooked, stressed Sen. Cynthia Villar. “More establishments resuming their operations when Boracay reopens on Oct. 26 means many would be able to work again,” she said.
Villar, who graced the fiesta of Alimodian on Saturday, however said Boracay businesses could only resume their operation if they have complied with the requirements set by the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force composed of the Department of Tourism (DOT), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG).
Among these requirements are business and sanitation permits and having sewerage treatment plants for hotels and resorts with over five rooms.
Villar said some Boracay businesses may have found it difficult to meet all the requirements, most especially on the sewerage treatment plant.
“Doon sila may problema. But we cannot compromise on (wastewater treatment),” said Villar.
On Aug. 31, DOT announced that an initial 2,063 hotel rooms were ready for October’s reopening of Boracay.
In its Boracay Bulletin, the department listed 25 hotels and resorts that have complied with the permits and clearances from the DILG and DENR.
In pursuit of the interagency task force’s “No Compliance, No Opening Policy”, the following compliant establishments would be duly accredited by DOT – Luana Hotel / Hue Hotel, Astoria Current, Boracay Mandarin Island Hotel, Boracay Haven Resort, Boracay Haven Suites, Casa Pilar Beach Resort, Boracay Holidays Beach Resort, El Centro Beach Resort, De Paris Beach Resort, Best Western Boracay Tropics, Surfside Boracay Resort & Spa, Fairways and Bluewater Beach Resort, Discovery Shores, The Lazy Dog, Red Coconut Beach Hotel, Starfire Resort, Canyon de Boracay, AV Seven Resort, Azalea Apartment Hotel, Reef Retreat Resort, Nigi-nigi Nu Noos’E ‘Nu Nu Noos Beach, The Club Ten Beach Resort Boracay, Ferra Hotel, Den Pasar Beach Resort, and Blue Coral Beach Resort.
Meanwhile, with only more than a month until Boracay reopens, President Rodrigo Duterte emphasized the importance of limiting the tourist destination’s carrying capacity.
“Not all Filipinos and all tourists can go to Boracay. It cannot accommodate everyone,” Duterte said in Cebuano during his visit to landslide victims in Naga City, Cebu province on Friday.
“If it’s a house, it would be similar to having just one comfort room for a thousand people,” he added.
The President, however, assured the public that the inter-agency task force assigned to oversee the rehabilitation of Boracay is continuously studying the best way to manage the island.
He complimented the ongoing rehabilitation efforts in the island, noting that Boracay now looks better than before.
“Now it looks good,” Duterte said. He earlier said he intended to visit Boracay one of these days.
Environment secretary Roy Cimatu said Boracay’s carrying capacity for tourists will be limited to 19,215 a day. This figure includes 6,405 tourist arrivals a day. (With a report from the Philippine News Agency/PN)
