BORACAY – There will be no fireworks display in this island on New Year’s Eve, acting Malay mayor Frolibar Bautista said.
The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) stood pat with its rehabilitation guidelines to ban fireworks after 9 p.m. every day due to the alarm and distress it may cause to the bats and people.
“Bawal ang fireworks sa dagat. Doon na lang kami sa Balusbos, sa mainland Malay, mag-countdown dahil sa Executive Order (EO) No. 28,” Bautista said.
“We have no choice but to follow it,” he added.
The EO 28 designates community fireworks display to minimize the risks of injuries and casualties.
Boracay Island, voted Asia’s best island by Conde Nast Traveler, used to welcome the coming year with huge fireworks display, parties and celebrations before the national government temporarily closed the island to tourists on April 26, 2018 for rehabilitation.
It reopened on Oct. 25, 2018 with new rules and regulations implemented by the Boracay task force in an attempt to preserve the island.
Bautista, however, said the public can start seeing fireworks around 500 meters from the shoreline in mainland Malay, Aklan on Dec. 31.(With a report from Akean Forum/PN)
