Duterte extends term of Boracay rehab body until May 2021

President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the term of the inter-agency body tasked to ensure the rehabilitation of world-famous Boracay Island resort until May 8, 2021.

Duterte issued the directive through Executive Order 115, which he signed on May 11. The President also instructed the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force to publish a final report on its accomplishments and the total budget utilized within 30 days prior to its dissolution.

Created in May 2018, the task force is chaired by the Environment secretary with the Interior and Tourism secretaries as vice chairpersons. 

The task force was mandated to ensure that policies on Boracay are consistent with relevant laws, rules and regulations, review and consolidate existing master plans, and formulate, in coordination with stakeholders, an action plan towards sustainable tourism development.

However, the task force found out that as of March 31 this year, 33% of establishments in Boracay are not yet compliant with the beach easement and 27% of establishments have not complied with the road easement, Duterte said.

Duterte also said there are still 723 structures built on forestland blocks, 112 on the beach easement and 334 on the road easement.

“[T]here is a need to complete critical projects in Boracay island pursuant to the Boracay Action Plan, such as but not limited to the improvement of the water drainage, demolition of remaining establishments situated in forest land and wetland areas, enforcement of beach and road easements, as well as the rehabilitation of the Boracay Circumferential Road, and extend the life of the task force so it may ensure implementation of carrying capacity regulations, and continue to carry out its mandate,” the EO stated.

Duterte earlier branded Boracay and its world-famous white-sand beach a "cesspool." He had ordered visitors to be kept away from April until October 2018 to give way to the construction of facilities to treat raw sewage and demolition of illegal structures.

A 2018 study conducted by the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau and the University of the Philippines Los Baños found that Boracay had exceeded its physical carrying capacity, the EO said.

According to the study, Boracay had exceeded its physical carrying capacity by 109.95 hectares or 4,712 units for residential structures, 194.90 hectares or 154 units for businesses with lodging or accommodation services, and 16.95 hectares or 878 units for other business establishments.

The DENR and UPLB study also concluded that the island’s total population carrying capacity had exceeded by 15,836 persons each day. — RSJ, GMA News