Malay mayor says Boracay safe amid sinkholes

The local government of Malay, Aklan on Tuesday assured tourists that Boracay remains safe amid the over 800 sinkholes reported by Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) on the popular island.

Interviewed on Unang Balita, Malay Mayor Flolibar Bautista said based on the copy of 2018 assessment report by DENR's Mines and Geosciences Bureau (MGB), most of the sinkholes were not deep.

"Wala naman siguro 'yan na panganib dahil 'yung mga sinkholes maliit lang at mababaw [There might be no danger because the sinkholes were small and shallow]," he said.

A study of MGB, a line agency of the DENR, in Western Visayas showed there are 815 sinkholes in the three barangays in Boracay — a jump from the 789 monitored in 2018.

Bautista said most of the sinkholes are located in unpopulated areas, noting that the biggest one, measuring 5 meters deep, is located inside a cave.

Sinkholes usually occur in areas where the rock below the land surface is made of limestone and that this may be triggered by earthquakes or due to the draining of the groundwater.

Bautista pointed out that sinkholes were not even considered by the task force that handled the rehabilitation of Boracay Island in 2018.

"Kung threatening 'yan (sinkholes), sigurado napag-usapan 'yan ng task force. Kaya siguro hindi napag-usapan kasi hindi siya threatening," the official said.

(If those sinkholes were threatening, surely the task force would have talked about it. But since the task force did not, perhaps they were not threatening.)

The DENR earlier said it is critical to maintain the island's carrying capacity of 6,000 people daily.

In a 24 Oras report on December 15, Bautista said the local government adheres to the construction standards such as the banning of high-rise establishments on the island. He said they are also keen on maintaining Boracay's carrying capacity and are even considering relocating the residents to a housing project on the mainland. —KBK, GMA Integrated News