With still no EO, interagency task force scrambles hours before Boracay closure

Green algae can be seen on the bay of Boracay on April 24, 2018, ahead of its closure. President Rodrigo Duterte ordered the once-idyllic white-sand resort closed to tourists for up to six months, staring on April 26, after describing the country’s top tourist attraction as a “cesspool” tainted by raw sewage. (Photo by NOEL CELIS / AFP)

BORACAY ISLAND, Aklan — The interagency task force in charge of the rehabilitation of Boracay met hours before the closure of the island, which is set for Thursday midnight.

As of this posting, President Rodrigo Duterte, who had announced that Boracay would be closed for six months over environmental concerns, has not issued an executive order.

Cabinet secretaries who form part of the task force arrived here on Wednesay.

Tourism Secretary Wanda Teo, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu and Interior Assistant Secretary for Plans and Programs Epimaco Densing are having a closed door meeting as of this writing.

The newly installed chief of the Philippine National Police, Director General Oscar Albayalde, is expected to arrive on Thursday.

The task force has not yet presented a comprehensive plan for the world-famous resort island.

The Aklan provincial government and the Malay municipal government said they would implement the President’s order with or without an executive order.

Also on Wednesday, workers and resident of Boracay filed a petition asking the Supreme Court to issue a restraining order against the closure.

But the PNP said they would implement security measures as planned starting Thursday midnight. /atm

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