BORACAY – President Rodrigo Duterte extended the term of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF), which will oversee the continuing the rehabilitation of the world-famous island in Malay, Aklan until May 8, 2021.
Duterte signed Executive Order (EO) No. 115 on May 11, citing the need to complete critical projects in the island.
“Despite the demolition of 111 structures in wetlands, 227 structures on the beach easement and 896 on the road easements since the inception of the task force in 2018, there are still 723 structures built on forestland blocks, 112 on the beach easement, and 334 on the road easement,” it read.
The task force also reported that 33 percent of Boracay establishments remained non-compliant with the 25+five meter beach easement rule, while 27 percent have not followed the eight-meter road easement.
BIATF would supervise and monitor these projects aside from the well-famed island’s road rehabilitation and improvement of the water drainage system.
The task force was also reminded by the President to ensure the implementation of capacity regulations and to carry out what are mandated under his EO No. 53.
To recall, EO 53 created the BIATF with the environment secretary acting as chairman and tourism and interior secretaries as vice-chairs.
Environment secretary Roy Cimatu welcomed the decision of President Duterte to extend the task force.
“Much work to be done as we transition from enhanced community quarantine, to general community quarantine and to the new normal. We will gradually resume work following the guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases,” Cimatu said in a statement on May 21.
The national government budgeted P25-billion of investment to safeguard Boracay’s environmental degradation and to sustain tourism activities following the island’s closure of six months from April to October 2018.(With a report from Akean Forum/PN)
