Duterte extends term of Boracay task force until his last day as President

President Rodrigo Duterte has extended the term of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force until June 30, 2022 or the day he steps down as President, citing delays on implementing projects due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This is provided under Executive Order (EO) 147 issued by President Duterte on Tuesday, September 14.

“The COVID-19 pandemic and the imposition of community quarantine measures have resulted in unprecedented delays and massive disruptions on the implementation of critical programs and projects based on the key thematic areas of Boracay Action Plan,” the EO read.

“Therefore, I, President Duterte, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby order that the Task Force shall be deemed dissolved on June 30, 2022 unless extended or sooner terminated by the President,” the EO added.

EO 53, which created the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force in May 2018 “to facilitate the rehabilitation and ensure the ecological sustainability of the island of Boracay,”  states that the Boracay Action Plan aims to safeguard the island famous for its long coast adorned with white sand via: enforcement of laws and regulations, pollution control and prevention, rehabilitation and recovery of ecosystems and reliable infrastructure, responsive social services and sustainable economic activities.

The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force was only supposed to last for two years before EO 115 extended its tenure to May 8, 2021.

The task force is chaired by Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu and has as its members the secretaries of the Justice, Public Works, Social Welfare, Labor, and Trade departments; the chief operating officer of the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority; the chief of the Philippine National Police; the governor of Aklan; and the mayor of the municipality of Malay.

In March, Cimatu asked for the Boracay rehabilitation program to be extended for another year.

Duterte ordered Boracay island’s six-month closure in April 2018, citing the need to rehabilitate the island due to looming degradation.

The closure affected 36,000 jobs and resulted in P56 billion worth of foregone revenues.

Boracay island was reopened in October 2018, but 24-hour partying has been banned since then.

The COVID-19 pandemic, however, has again reduced activity on the island due to quarantine restrictions largely banning leisure to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

EO 147 cited a number of infrastructure projects which posted progress so far since Boracay island’s closure in April 2018 such as roads, sewage systems, as well as improved beach water quality.

EO 147, however, did not provide details on the job situation in the Boracay island since it reopened to tourists in October 2018. — BM, GMA News