PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte, who once branded Boracay Island as a "cesspool," was "very pleased" with the massive cleanup of the world-famous beach destination that paved way for its reopening six months after its closure, MalacaƱang said on Friday, October 26.
During the ceremonial reopening of Boracay at the Cagban Port, Presidential Spokesperson Salvador Panelo said the President was all praise for the Cabinet secretaries who took part in the "evolution and development" of Boracay.
"He (Duterte) is very pleased with what has happened in Boracay," Panelo said. "Definitely, the President has commended the secretaries for the evolution and development of this place."
Boracay, famous for its powdery white sand and clear turquoise water, was closed to local and foreign tourists for six months beginning April 26 upon the President's directive.
The renowned tourist destination reopened on Friday, following the six-month efforts of the Boracay inter-agency task force to rehabilitate the island.
Panelo said the rehabilitation of Boracay served as a "lesson of political will and cooperation among the people in this country."
"Boracay is a lesson of political will exhibited by the President, and yet, it is also a lesson of neglect and misfeasance and malfeasance in office, because this would not have happened if political will would have been exhibited, if only the officials of this place, as well as the stakeholders, operated following the law and the rules and regulations," he said.
"It has to take President Duterte to put things in order. And I think, that we should all lear from these lessons so that Boracay will become the attraction, not only in this country but in the world," the Palace official added.
Duterte ordered Boracay's closure because of environmental issues plaguing the island, which include problems on waste management and sewage disposal.
The President also planned to place the entire Boracay under land reform program and distribute agricultural lands to indigenous peoples residing on the island.
The Agrarian Reform department earlier said that some 408.5113 of 628.96 hectares of agricultural land on the island may be subject to the proposed land reform. (SunStar Philippines)