Duterte open to allotting ‘small area’ for tourism in Boracay

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday maintained his vow to pursue land reform in Boracay even as he expressed openness to keeping a portion of it for tourism which has been the lifeblood of the island’s economy for years.

Duterte said he would get the opinion of his Cabinet and Congress on the matter.

“If the decision of the Cabinet and Congress [is] we would segregate only a small area for tourism and the rest of Boracay to claim it as a land reform area. Magkakaroon pa ng activity,” the President said in a speech during a land title distribution event in Mulanay, Quezon.

Over 40 percent of Boracay island could be handed over to beneficiaries of agrarian reform if Duterte decides to push through with his planned reform program, even if a large chunk is being used by business establishments.

Data released by the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) on Monday showed 408.5113 hectares out of the 1,006.64 hectares of the total land area of Boracay may be covered by land reform.

Under Proclamation 1064 issued by then-President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo in 2006, Boracay island was classified into 628.96 hectares of agricultural land and 377.68 hectares of forest land.

Some 220.44 hectares of the agricultural land were converted into other uses and exempted from land reform.

“Mas gusto ko ibigay ko sa tao. Tutal lahat ngayon lumalakas na. Palawan is sparkling. Cebu is refurbishing everybody’s resort. Gumagana na sila kasi sarado ang Boracay,” Duterte said.

Boracay, a world-famous tourist destination, is undergoing a six-month rehabilitation process to address its environmental woes. —KG, GMA News