Senators against 60-day closure of Boracay

The loss of wetlands on Boracay Island is being blamed for recent flooding that hit the renowned resort destination. PHOTO FROM FACEBOOK

Senators will ask President Rodrigo Duterte to not implement the total closure of Boracay island, Senator Cynthia Villar said Sunday.

Instead, non-compliant establishments should be the only ones be closed and not those operating properly.

“Ang amin pong napagkasunduan ng mga senador ay irequest kay Presidente na huwag naman mag total closure. I-close na lang yung mga non-complaint at yung mga compliant ay pabayaan magpatuloy,” Villar, head of the Senate environment committee, said in an interview with dzBb.

This, according to Villar, would encourage the non-compliant businesses to fully comply to environmental laws at the renowned tourist destination.

The senator said the closure of non-compliant businesses would continue until they obeyed environmental laws.

Some of the violations found were the failure to connect to sewer lines, putting up business related establishment beyond their property lane, and the establishment of businesses on wetlands, Villar said.

The wetlands serve as the catch basins in Boracay to prevent flooding.

Villar added that the local government of Boracay has failed to fully implement the solid waste management law on the island.

“The local government has not been able to implement the national solid waste management law, na hindi lahat ng basura itinatapon sa landfill – nirerecycle yung pwedeng irecycle at yung residual waste lang yung itatapon sa landfill,” she said.

On Friday, Villar and four other senators went to Boracay for a hearing to tackle the issue on sewage problems on the island. /cbb

READ: Senate probe: Local DENR execs blamed for Boracay rot