BORACAY – Swimming in the beaches of this island resort will be prohibited during the six-month closure period, according to Department of the Interior and Local Government officer-in-charge Eduardo Año.
Even residents will be barred from the beaches during the closure starting April 26 to “allow nature to heal,” Año said.
Violators will be apprehended, he stressed.
Entry to the island will be limited to residents of barangays Manoc-manoc, Balabag and Yapak. No local or foreign tourist will be allowed, Año said.
Legitimate island residents will be provided with identification cards – aside from their existing barangay identification cards – prior to the closure.
The local government of Malay and security forces assigned in Boracay will issue the identification cards to about 56,000 locals.
The DILG will meet with barangay officials to discuss the new identification system.
President Rodrigo Duterte approved on Wednesday the recommendation to shut down the island for six months to pave the way for rehabilitation.
This came after almost two months when he called Boracay, badgered by wastewater disposal problems, among other environmental concerns, a “cesspool.” (With PNA/PN)
