Senators push for agency to manage Boracay

Just like the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority (SBMA) in the former US Navy base in Zambales, a single, strong authority should manage the affairs of Boracay to prevent a repeat of the mistakes that had led to the island’s environmental woes and six-month closure, several senators said on Tuesday.

Minority Leader Franklin Drilon, who led the push for a new administrative entity in Boracay, said there were too many agencies involved in running the island, issuing various permits and leading to disorganization.

“All we have now are ad-hoc solutions. We need a master plan… to be implemented by a single authority,” Drilon said at a hearing on the progress of the island’s cleanup.

SBMA as model

Senators were studying the SBMA setup as a model for this body, he said, adding that it must be run by career professionals.

Sen. Cynthia Villar, who chaired the hearing, also cautioned agrarian reform officials about making statements on which areas in Boracay would be subjected to land reform, as the different figures officials have quoted could confuse the public.

Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV, meanwhile, said that President Rodrigo Duterte’s announcement placing Boracay under agrarian reform could be a tactic to intimidate establishments on the island into giving in to certain demands. —Leila B. Salaverria