Cimatu orders 300 business establishments in Boracay closed

On the heels of President Rodrigo Duterte’s tirade about the environmental ills plaguing Boracay, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu on Tuesday ordered 300 business establishments in the island resort to be closed for violating the law.

“This morning, I ordered the regional director of Region 6 ... the immediate issuance of notice of violations and closure of all Boracay establishments which violated the Clean Water Act and failed to connect ... waste water to the sewage system,” Cimatu told GMA News Online.

The closure order is not yet final.

Cimatu gave the business establishments in Boracay two months to comply with environmental provisions of the law.

Environment Undersecretary Jonas Leones said business establishments may appeal the order and they will be given time to address their own shortcomings.

“If they failed to address their violations, the Pollution and Adjudication Board will issue a cease and desist order,” Leones said.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) needs to fast-track the process of deciding and investigating the erring business in the island to meet the deadline set by Duterte.

During the Manila Times’ Business Forum in Davao City on Friday, Duterte threatened to shut down Boracay if the environmental issues are not addressed in six months. He said it was a “cesspool.”

During the Cabinet meeting on February 5, Duterte approved “in principle” the creation of a DENR-led task force to address the problems of Boracay within the prescribed period.

On Monday, the President blamed local officials for allowing the structures to be built overlapping the coastline without a sewerage system.

In a separate interview with reporters on Tuesday, Cimatu said he will do his best to resolve the problem within six months.

“Kakayanin ko talaga kagaya rin ng estudyante kung binigyan sila ng oras na magawa,‘finished or unfinished pass your paper’. Parang ganun lang naman sa ‘kin ang gagawin. I have to do my best to complete it in six months,” he said.

In a separate statement, Cimatu noted 50 to 60 percent of all business establishments in Boracay are compliant with Republic Act No. 9275 or the Philippine Clean Water Act of 2004.

Under RA 9275, businesses and households are mandated to dispose their septic wastes via a treatment facility.

In January to October 2017, Boracay island was visited by 1.669 million tourists and generated P46.526 billion in tourism receipts, data from the Aklan Provincial Tourism Office showed.

Foreigners and Filipinos who live abroad accounted for P31.769 billion of the tourism-related revenue, while domestic tourists spent P14.757 billion. —VDS/JST, GMA News