Boracay’s October reopening on track

An undersecretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) yesterday expressed optimism yesterday that the island resort of Boracay can be opened as scheduled six months after its closure last April.

DILG Usec. Epimaco Densing said that Boracay’s October reopening is still very much feasible following President Rodrigo Duterte’s closure order to allow its rehabilitation.

Famous for its white beaches, the island had been tagged a “cesspool” by the President for the algal bloom and bacterial growth found on its water.

Numerous beachside establishments had been found to dump untreated sewage into the waters of Boracay which, prior to its closure, attracted millions of foreign and local tourists each year.

Densing said Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu has always been checking on the progress of Boracay’s rehabilitation, including the removal of illegal structures.

“As per Secretary Cimatu, it’s still on the go to reopen on October 26, which is the target date,” Densing said on radio.

Densing said workers are presently demolishing structures that breached the 30-meter easement zone, including part of the West Cove resort.

The management and owners of West Cove had been summoned to an inquiry of the Senate on the state of Boracay and efforts being done to ease the effect of tourism in its ecology.

“Water quality has also started to improve in the island’s Bulabog Beach, which had been fouled by sewage water,” added Densing.

Meanwhile, Densing urged local governments to pass ordinances on the suspension of classes to keep students safe from rains and floods.

Under Executive Order 66, local officials should announce class suspensions before 4:30 a.m. for morning sessions and before 11 a.m. for afternoon sessions.

Some students, however, trudged through streets inundated by monsoon rains on Tuesday as some officials issued late announcements on class suspensions.

“Local ordinances can mandate officials to cancel classes based on rainfall warnings by the state weather bureau in the absence of storm signals in their area,” said Densing.

He also rejected a suggestion to transfer the responsibility of announcing class suspensions to the Department of Education, saying local officials have a better grasp of weather conditions in their area.

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