800 establishments in Boracay have violations — DILG chief

BORACAY, Aklan - Some 800 establishments on the island resort have different kinds of violations that the government intends to correct, said Interior and Local Government officer-in-charge Eduardo Año on Thursday evening.

"May mga buildings dito tumayo without permit. Meron namang business permit pero walang ECC (environmental compliance certificate). At 'yung businesses na lumampas na sa 25 plus 5 meters easement," Año told reporters after the interagency meeting on Boracay problems.

"Talagang violation. Siguro we are talking here of 800 plus establishments," he added.

Meanwhile, he said 300 establishments have violated the Clean Water Act.

"'Yung wetland na supposedly hindi pwede e tinayuan na rin ng establishments at sinemento nila. 'Yung timberland na dapat walang permanent structure tinayuan din ng building at hotel," he said.

He said there seemed to be no infrastructure plans in place in Boracay.

"So parang wala nang order, ang tawag nga parang organized chaos e so aayusin natin ito lahat," he said.

Año said the DILG, through the task force it created and led by Assistant Secretary Epimaco Densing III, has combed through the violations to identify those responsible for the problems Boracay is facing.

"Hinahalukay natin lahat starting 2001 since it started kung sino ang mga culprit dito. Obviously may mga government officials dito na naging negligent," he said.

Asked who are those responsible, the DILG chief said that is the subject of their investigation.

He said with the six months given to them by President Rodrigo Duterte to fix Boracay, they would allow the violators to do appropriate corrections so they would be compliant to existing laws.

'Yung lahat ng establishment na nag-violate bigyan natin sila ng pagkakataon kung gusto nila mag-voluntary demolition but kung hindi we will demolish all establishments na nagviolate," he said.

"Sa sewarage system, we will give chance to all establishments  to connect to the sewerage system," he said.

Año said that it is the right time to draft permanent measures, particularly on the height of buildings on the resort island, that will be strictly followed by the establishment owners.

"Magdadraft din tayo ng permanent measures, regulations, siguro magkakaroon ng pagbabago sa Building Code, kung ilang floors ba talaga ang pwedeng itayo dito sa Boracay. Kasi pagka pinayagan ang high-rise building dito wala na naman tayong control dyan," he said.

He believed it is right time to limit the number of people in Boracay.

"On a single day umaabot ng 50,000 ang tao dito sa island, bawat isa may about two and a half kilos of waste. Saan mo itatapon ang waste na yan?" he asked.

"Siguro it is time na i-limit natin ilan ba talaga ang capacity ng island na ito," he said. — BAP, GMA News