NDRRMC recommends declaring state of calamity in Boracay

The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) has approved a resolution recommending that President Rodrigo Duterte declare a state of calamity in the world-famous tourist destination Boracay island.

Members of the national council led by its chairperson and Secretary of National Defense Delfin Lorenzana, along with other secretaries, head of agencies and representatives of various NDRRMC member agencies convened on Monday to discuss the proposed declaration of state of calamity in barangays Balabag, Manoc-Manoc, and Yapak in the municipality of Malay in Aklan.

The officials also discussed at the Department of National Defense in Camp Aguinaldo the implementation of the six-month temporary closure of Boracay Island. 

“The draft resolution recommending the declaration of a State of Calamity in the affected barangays covering Boracay Island was approved by the National Council subject to minimal modification as discussed during the meeting and for review of the Legal Working Group,” Lorenzana said.

The national council recommended that the declaration shall cover the three barangays in Malay, Aklan for a “maximum period of one year.”

“This concerted effort from the National DRRM Council is in continued pursuit of our initiatives to building disaster resilient Filipino communities,” Lorenzana said.

Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said on Monday that Duterte will issue the declaration “very soon.”

“Forthcoming na po iyan...So lalabas na iyong order ng state of calamity at saka iyong proclamation on the closure of Boracay,” Roque told reporters.

The Department of the Interior and Local Government and Department of Environment and Natural Resources said that based on their investigation and validation, “pollution caused by improper waste management and encroachment of protected areas by illegal structures have adversely affected the overall ecological balance of the island.”

The Department of Science and Technology, meanwhile, said that beach erosion is “prevalent” in Boracay, particularly along the West Beach “where as much as 40 meters of erosion has taken place in the past 20 years from 1993 to 2003, and is largely due to storms, extraction of sand along the beach to raise properties, and structures along the foreshore.”

The number of tourists flocking to Boracay has significantly increased in the last five years. In 2012, a total of 1,206,252 tourist arrived, while 2,001,974 tourists arrived in 2017, the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council VI said.

It was in February when the President called the world-famous vacation spot a “cesspool,” which triggered a crackdown on establishments and stakeholders on the island for violations of environmental laws and policies.

Duterte earlier this month approved the recommendation of DENR, DILG and Department of Tourism for a six-month closure of Boracay effective April 26 to make way for the rehabilitation of the world-famous holiday destination. —With Virgil Lopez/KG, GMA News