BORACAY – Multi-sectoral groups in this world-famous island and Malay, Aklan are against the proposed creation of the Boracay Island Development Authority (BIDA) that will oversee the management of the tourist destination.
Banding under the name One Boracay, the groups however assure President Rodrigo Duterte, “We are one with and fully share and support (the) President (in his) resolve to safeguard the environment” and sustain the “remarkable re-emergence of (Boracay) back to its former glory.”
So why are they against the creation of BIDA?
They believe BIDA would “violate the policy of devolution and decentralization” and “encroach upon and divest local government units of their constitutionally guaranteed (1987 Constitution) local autonomy and law-mandated powers and functions, rights and prerogatives (Local Government Code of 1991).
Boracay is part of Malay, Aklan. The local government of Malay, therefore, oversees the island.
BIDA is being proposed as a government-owned and –controlled corporation. According to One Boracay, it would be “clothed with powers and functions which duplicate and overlap with those already vested upon and exercised by the national government’s line and attached agencies.”
One Boracay instead calls for the extension and expansion of the mandate and operation of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) created by the President in May 2018 when Boracay was temporarily closed for a massive rehabilitation.
“We are one with and will continue to partner with the national and local governments to promote and accelerate the sustainable development and balanced growth of Boracay Island consistent with the necessity of maintaining a sound ecological balance and protecting and enhancing the quality of the environment,” read part of One Boracay’s position paper on BIDA.
One Boracay is made up of, among others, the barangay captains of Malay, municipal government employees, businesses, transport groups, fisherfolk, photographers, etc./PN
