Three government agencies recommend closure of Boracay of up to a year

March 15, 2018

Three Philippine government agencies have recommended Thursday to the Office of the President to close the world famous tourist spot Boracay Island of up to a year due to an environmental crisis.

In a short press conference recorded on the Department of Tourism's Facebook page, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu and Interior and Local Government (DILG) Officer in Charge Eduardo Ano replied: "Total closure" when asked if  Boracay will be closed.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo said their recommendations will be discussed in a special Cabinet Cluster meeting on Monday.

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier ordered the DILG to clean up Boracay within six months early March. He had described Boracay, the Philippines' top tourist spot as a "cesspool" due to the pollution.\

Ano said the declaration of a state of calamity in Boracay will be up to Duterte.

Teo, in an interview over radio station dzMM said the proposed one year closure of Boracay may too strict. "It will affect tourism but it would give us a chance to market other tourism areas which are just as good as Boracay," she added.

Teo said there are three key areas in the Boracay cleanup. One is making the facilities are not built too close to the sea, second remove the establishments built on wetlands and three fixing the seweage system.

'If these can be done in a short period, it would be fine," said Teo. DMS