Stop Boracay reclamation, group asks SC

A group of Boracay business owners on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to stop an ambitious P1-billion reclamation project of the Aklan provincial government that they claimed would destroy the beauty of the world’s famous resort island.

In a petition for a temporary environmental protection order, the Boracay Foundation Inc. argued that the 40-hectare reclamation project on the shores of barangay Caticlan, Malay town would kill the already fragile coral reefs in the area and cause damage to Boracay’s powdery white sand beaches.
“This project is like killing the goose that lays the golden eggs,” lawyer Joel Butuyan told the Inquirer.

Loubelle B. Cann, BFI president, accused Aklan elected officials of arbitrarily implementing the project without the consent of the residents, business groups and other stakeholders.

“What they did was just a project presentation. The (Aklan provincial government) did not seek our approval. They did not even present a comprehensive scientific study of the project,” Cann lamented.

Aside from the provincial government, named respondents in the case were the Philippine Reclamation Authority and the Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Environmental Management Bureau. INQUIRER