“Business owners are advised to secure the necessary permits, licenses and certifications or they will remain closed once the resort island reopens.

The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) will make the process of securing permits for commercial establishments in Boracay smoother through a “one-stop shop” in compliance with President Rodrigo Duterte’s directive to promote ease of doing business with government offices.

Personnel from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the Department of Tourism (DoT) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will operate the one-stop shop in the island.

According to BIATF chair and DENR Secretary Roy A. Cimatu, the one-stop shop will assist business owners in complying with the requirements to be able to operate when Boracay reopens on 26 October.

Business owners are advised to secure the necessary permits, licenses and certifications; otherwise, they will remain closed when the resort island reopens at the end of the six-month rehabilitation period.

“The reopening of Boracay does not mean that all establishments will also reopen. They will have to first secure the necessary permits and comply with existing conditions or requirements,” Cimatu said during the third meeting of the BIATF last week.

The BIATF was created by President Duterte to carry out rehabilitation work in Boracay, which he had described as a “cesspool” due to environmental problems plaguing the island.

Cimatu noted that the DENR had already set up its own one-stop shop in its base operations at Station 3 of Boracay’s White Beach.

The DENR’s Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) has also assigned its personnel to help evaluate compliance with environmental laws, particularly on clean water, clean air, solid waste management and toxic substances and hazardous waste control.

Furthermore, the EMB is currently conducting on-site visits to all business establishments on the island to check on their compliance with various regulations issued by the DENR, including the setting up of sewerage treatment plants for hotels and resorts with more than five rooms.

The DENR’s one-stop shop also allows business owners to verify whether their establishments require an environmental compliance certificate or ECC, or simply a certificate of non-coverage for establishments with five rooms and below.

Aside from the DENR, establishments also need clearance from the DILG or the local government unit regarding their business and sanitation permits.

Once clearances are obtained from both the DENR and DILG, business owners may then seek accreditation from the DoT, subject to the agency’s own requirements or conditions.