Gov’t wants to limit number of tourists, infrastructure in Boracay — DILG

The government is planning to limit the number of tourists and infrastructure in Boracay to cope with the environmental needs of the island, Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Undersecretary Epimaco Densing lll said on Friday.

Densing said the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) is conducting a study on the “carrying capacity” of the island or the number of people and organisms that the place could sustain without environmental degradation.

“May study na ginagawa ang DENR, yung carrying capacity ng isla,” Densing said at the Nanka Forum in Quezon City.

The DENR study covers the possibility of limiting the infrastructure and the number of people in the island, both the residents and tourists.

“Ang aming pananaw, hindi lamang ang miyembro ng mga tao na papasok ng isla pati sa infrastructure at saka mga buildings, baka mailimitahan na din,” Densing explained.

He also mentioned that there are still no reports on whether tourists can start rebooking flights that were cancelled due to the island’s closure.

“Mas maganda hintayin muna natin yung task force meeting… Para masabi na natin sa mga turista at mga tourist operators na pwede ng mag-accept ng mga bookings on October 26,” he said. — Micah Yurielle P. Atienza/INQUIRER.net Intern

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