Published on : Friday, April 27, 2018
The resort is being reduced to piles of rock and steel rods, due to demolition of illegal structures on the tourist island as an aftermath of the orders by the Philippines’ President, Rodrigo Duterte.
Boracay draws 2 million visitors annually.
But with an estimated 1,800 businesses competing for space and a share of the annual $1 billion that Boracay generates, mass tourism is posing dangers for this tiny 10-square-kilometre island, bringing it to the brink of collapse.
President Duterte warned of an environmental disaster from unchecked growth and a failing sewage system that made it a “cesspool”.
On April 4, he ordered closure of the island to outsiders for six months to facilitate a process of rehabilitation, for which a complete plan has yet to be drafted.
In the current context, tourists and non-residents will be denied entry and boats will be barred from going within 3 kilometres of the island.
The local government has started demolishing around 900 illegal structures on the island and widening a 7-kilometer spine road clogged with trucks, motorbikes and vans.
Tags: Boracay Island