Duterte to go to Boracay only when he distributes land to natives

October 14, 2018

President Rodrigo Duterte said on Sunday that he would only go to Boracay in Malay, Aklan when he could already distribute the land to the indigenous people in the island.

In a speech in a hotel in Manila, Duterte said that Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu called him up and asked him if he would go to Boracay, which dry run for its reopening would take place on Monday.

"They said they will have the inauguration tomorrow. I will go to Boracay but I will go to distribute the lands given to the Atis. I’m not into sumptuous celebration. But I will go to Boracay to personally distribute the land reform program certificates to the Lumads there, the natives," he said.

He said he is waiting for the Department of Agrarian Reform to come out with the land distribution program.

The President said he did not want Boracay to be left only to the hands of businessmen.

"Boracay is just a small place. If you allow hotels and every subdivision there, it cannot. It’s because a world class --- everybody wants to go there. And if you have a land… It cannot carry beyond its normal capacity in terms of environmental loads and burdens," he said.

"I am through with the dramas and show-offs. I’m stuck with my term and I do not have to go politicking," he added.

Duterte said he hopes that with the rehabilitation of Boracay, it is now clean and "it has been eradicated of the bacteria, the huge bacteria there."

He also expressed hope that the local government units of Aklan would ensure that environmental laws are followed.

Duterte ordered Boracay's closure in April to rehabilitate it after likening the island to a "cesspool." Celerina Monte/DMS