DOT: Urban planner Palafox to present master plan for ‘new’ Boracay on Thursday

Urban planner Felino Palafox will be meeting with government officials on Thursday to go over a new master plan for the rehabilitation of Boracay, an official of the Department of Tourism said on Tuesday.

Citing takeaways from a previous interagency meeting, Tourism Assistant Secretary Ricky Alegre said in a television interview that the plan includes road expansion, with structures illegally built along roadways from ports to the beaches to be dismantled.

"As we said, you know, we're sorry. But if you're within that limit, you'll have to go," Alegre said.

"This road that you see now will just be for tourists, smaller vehicles, maybe e-trikes," he also said.

Alegre added that the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) had also identified forest lands and wetlands to be "reclaimed" by the government.

"If you are constructed in the forestland, we will demolish you. If you are built in the wetlands, we will demolish you," the official said.

Meanwhile, to pave the way for uninterrupted rehabilitation efforts, Alegre said the interagency is finalizing a proposal to declare a state of calamity in Boracay before or after the Holy Week.

The government is also eyeing a "shutdown," possibly from June to September, during which the island's famous beaches would temporarily be closed off to vacationers.

President Rodrigo Duterte in early February described world-famous tourist spot as a "cesspool" and ordered its environmental issues solved within six months.

There has been a crackdown on establishments and other structures operating illegally on the island, as well as those found to be improperly discharging waste water to beaches.

Local government officials are also being investigated to determine their accountability as regards the pollution and congestion plaguing Boracay. — Margaret Claire Layug/BM, GMA News