MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte said on Wednesday that he will declare a state of calamity in world-famous Boracay island amid continuing environmental concerns.
Twice named as the best island in the world in Conde Nast Traveler’s Readers’ Choice Awards, Boracay has been a popular destination with tourists who are drawn to its white, talcum-powder fine sands and warm, crystalline waters.
In recent years urban and environmental planners have been warning of environmental degradation at the resort which in 2017 posted a record 2,001,974 tourist arrivals.
In February, the president himself labelled Boracay a “cesspool,” describing its waters as “smelly.”
“You go into the water, it’s smelly. Smell of what? Shit,” Duterte said. He then ordered Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu to clean up Boracay within six months.
Following the president’s directive, a “mission team” was deployed by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to serve notices to establishments initially found to have violated environmental laws.
Members of the team likewise went to check if the establishments are properly connected to the main sewer lines or have their own wastewater treatment facilities, at the same time, identify those directly discharging untreated wastewater into Boracay waters.
Reports indicate that over 60 establishments, including five-star resorts, were found draining their untreated sewage water directly into the sea.
In his speech during the oath-taking of new government officials in Malacanang on Tuesday, the president announced that he was placing Boracay under a state of calamity.
He explained that this action would allow the government to extend assistance to those who are displaced financially.
Interior and Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) officer-in-charge Eduardo Ano has been put under orders by Duterte to “put an end” to Boracay’s problem in six months.
The president appealed to the public to work with the government to clean the island.
Meanwhile, Senate President Aquilino Pimentel III declared his support for a plan to close some parts of Boracay to tourists from June 1 to July 31.
“We must carefully assess the damage to the local environment and take the necessary steps for the clean-up. The process is more easily done and more effective if there are no tourists around,” Pimentel said.
He added that while he understood the difficulty involved in closing the island for two months, he added: “It will be good in the long run for all stakeholders, including the tourists who are there for the natural beauty of the island.”
He noted that closing tourist destinations to preserve them is nothing new, as Thailand closed Koh Tachai island in May 2016 when record numbers of tourists threatened the natural environment.
Philippines to declare state of calamity at Boracay island
Philippines to declare state of calamity at Boracay island
Protesters try to attack driver after truck speeds through anti-Iran demonstration in Los Angeles
LOS ANGELES: Los Angeles police responded Sunday after somebody drove a U-Haul box truck down a street crowded with marchers demonstrating in support of the Iranian people, causing protesters to scramble out of the way and then run after the speeding vehicle to try to attack the driver.
The U-Haul truck, with its side mirrors shattered, was stopped several blocks away and surrounded by police cars. ABC7 news helicopter footage showed officers keeping the crowd at bay as demonstrators swarmed the truck, throwing punches at the driver and thrusting flagpoles through the driver’s side window.
The police department confirmed its officers were on the scene but didn’t immediately say if anyone was arrested.
Two people were evaluated by paramedics and both declined treatment, the Los Angeles Fire Department said.
Several hundred people had gathered Sunday afternoon in the Westwood neighborhood to protest against the Iranian theocracy. The LA police department eventually issued a dispersal order, and by 5 p.m. only about a hundred protesters were still at the scene, ABC7 reported.
Activists say a crackdown on nationwide protests in Iran has killed more than 530 people. Protesters flooded the streets in Iran’s capital of Tehran and its second-largest city again Sunday.
