‘Final action’ on Boracay may be taken up in Cabinet meeting —Palace official

A “final action” on the recommendation to shut down Boracay and make way for its rehabilitation will likely be resolved during the monthly Cabinet meeting on Wednesday, a Palace official said on Tuesday.  

“It’s very likely. We can’t leave this matter hanging,” Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra told GMA News Online.

Malacañang has received the detailed memorandum containing the justification from three government agencies pushing for a six-month closure of Boracay beginning April 26, Guevarra noted.

Details of the memorandum have yet to be released. It was forwarded to Malacañang  by the Departments of Tourism (DOT), Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), and Interior and Local Government (DILG), in light of concerns about the closure's impact on businesses in the popular holiday destination.

The Palace is also considering a recommendation from the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to close the island in phases due to possible repercussions on businesses, employment, and livelihood in the island.

Stakeholders earlier said the impending closure of Boracay may result in at least P56 billion in foregone revenues and render 36,000 people jobless.

President Rodrigo Duterte has called the Boracay a “cesspool” and threatened to shut down the island if its sewage problem would remain unresolved in six months.

He also threatened to slap with sedition charges those who would actively resist his plan to restore Boracay to its pristine state. —VDS, GMA News