Duterte OKs P25B Boracay rehab action plan

MANILA, Philippines – President Rodrigo Duterte has approved the P25 billion Boracay Medium-Term Action Plan needed for the full rehabilitation of the resort island in Aklan after its six-month closure.

“We likewise announce the approval of the Boracay Medium-Term Action Plan which will sustain the efforts of the government after its closure,” Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said in a statement Tuesday, adding that Duterte approved the plan during the 39th Cabinet meeting in Malacañang on Monday night.

Panelo, quoting National Economic and Development Authority Director General and Socioeconomic Planning Secretary Ernesto Pernia and Usec. Adoracion Navarro, said the action plan has four themes.

These include the “enforcement of laws where there will be intervention on the regulation of visitors and hotel accommodations; prevention where there will be interventions on the sewerage infrastructure, solid and liquid waste management; rehabilitation and recovery of ecosystems; and sustainability of activities in the island such as improvement of roads and public health infrastructure, construction of permanent housing program for indigenous people and education facilities.”

Duterte ordered the closure of Boracay in April 2018 after describing the famous tourist destination as a “cesspool.”  (Editor: Mike U. Frialde)