PRESIDENT Rodrigo Duterte is amenable to the call of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) for the declaration of a state of calamity in Boracay to allow the government to hasten its rehabilitation.
During the oath-taking of appointed members of teh Presidential Anti-Corruption Commission on Tuesday, March 6, Duterte threatened to place the world-famous resort island under a state of calamity if his six-month ultimatum to clean it up within six months is not met.
The President made the pronouncement after he met with Cabinet officials at the Malacañang on Monday, March 5, and reiterated his previous order to resolve the environmental issues that hound Boracay.
"Finish the problem within six months. I would be declaring a state of calamity (in Boracay if problems besetting the island will not be addressed)," he said.
"I am invoking it. I can order this thing to happen because it's a public interest, public safety and public health," Duterte added.
The DILG earlier recommended that Boracay be placed under a state of calamity to allow the government to fast-track the implementation of a rehabilitation program for the island.
Section 3 of the Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010 defines state of calamity as " a condition involving mass casualty and/or major damages to property, disruption of means of livelihoods, roads and normal way of life of people in the affected areas as a result of the occurrence of natural or human-induced hazard."
Local Government officer-in-charge Undersecretary Eduardo Año earlier said placing the island under a state of calamity will give the government a "sufficient elbow room to utilize their respective calamity funds for the relief, recovery, and reconstruction of areas affected by human-induced calamities and pollution happening in Boracay."
Boracay, one of the top tourist destinations in the Philippines because of its powdery white sand beaches, has been plagued with sewerage and waste management problems.
Duterte, who described the island as a cesspool, had threatened to close it to tourists.
Duterte renewed his call to stakeholders in Boracay who will be affected by a potential closure order to work with the government to rehabilitate and restore the resort island.
"In the meantime, if I were from Boracay, you guys there, the best thing for you to do is to cooperate (with) the government in hastening the clean up. For as long as there are s**** coming out of those pipes, draining (to) the sea, I will never give you the time of the day," he said. (SunStar Philippines)