D’Mall denies being built on Boracay wetland

D'Mall, one of the biggest establishments on Boracay island, on Thursday denied being built above a wetland, as it has complied with regulations.

"In the case of D'Mall, we believe that the DENR (Department of Environment and Natural Resources) has been misinformed of where D'Mall is located in location to identified wetlands," spokesperson Reggie Jularbal said in an interview on ANC.

He was responding to claims that the D'Mall, which currently has a hectare of land, was built on top of a wetland, which is protected by environmental laws.

With this, the establishment is now facing risks that it may be closed down during the rehabilitation of the island.

According to Jularbal, the aerial maps of Boracay island would show that the D'Mall — established in 2004 — was not built on a wetland.

"There is no official map other than the 2008 map, but if you go by the maps that have been circulating, nowhere is this area identified as a wetland," he said.

President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday approved the recommendation to close the island of Boracay for six months starting April 26 to make way for its rehabilitation.

This comes after the Departments of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), Interior and Local Government (DILG), and Tourism (DOT) last month recommended the total closure of the island for six months.

The recommendation came after Duterte threatened to close down the island after he described the tourist destination as a "cesspool."

According to stakeholders of the island, the year-long closure of the island could result in at least P56 billion in foregone revenues, and render as much as 36,000 people jobless.

The National Economic and Development Authority (NEDA), however, said that the six-month closure of the island would at most have a 0.1-percent effect on the gross domestic product (GDP). —Jon Viktor Cabuenas/KG, GMA News