Boracay may reopen in 4 months - DILG

ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2018/news/04/26/boracay.jpg"/><figcaption>Workers clean the beach front of a resort on day 1 of the 6-month closure of Boracay isalnd on Thursday. <em>Fernando G. Sepe Jr., ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA - Boracay island may be reopened to tourists in July, instead of being shuttered for 6 months as planned, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Thursday. </p><p>President Rodrigo Duterte had ordered Boracay&#x27;s shutdown from April 26 after flagging inadequate sewage that turned some waters into &quot;cesspools.&quot;</p><p>&quot;&#x27;Pag na-formalize na po iyung task force, mayroon ho kaming ipo-propose na milestones. &#x27;Pag na-hit iyung mga milestones na iyun, puwede na magkaroon ng tinatawag nating soft opening,&quot; DILG Assistant Secretary Epimaco Densing III told DZMM. </p><p>&quot;Ang target namin, in 4 months,&quot; he added. </p><p>(Once the Boracay task force is formalized, we will propose certain milestones. Once these milestones are hit, we can have a so-called soft opening. Our target is in 4 months.) </p><p>Among these milestones are better water quality and a complete removal of illegal structures, he said. </p><figure class="op-interactive"><div id="IVS_ABS_Video_Widget_1_Container"><ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Video_Widget_1" allow="autoplay" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-wid="f5fb7bd1-3880"></ivs-player><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script></div></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="~//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="~//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><p> The government has started shoring up Boracay&#x27;s drainage system, simulating security scenarios and cleaning up the coast on the first day of the island&#x27;s closure, said Densing. </p><p>Officials are also preparing a complaint against 24 establishments that were caught dumping untreated water into the ocean, he said.</p><p>During the closure, only residents with ID cards will be allowed to board ferries to the tiny island that is home to about some 40,000 people.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/24/18/palace-vows-probe-into-alleged-boracay-id-scam">Palace vows probe into alleged Boracay ID scam</a></li></ul><p>The government said it was aiming to squelch any unrest from those unhappy with the shutdown, including some of the some 36,000 people employed in the island&#x27;s bustling tourist trade.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/business/03/22/18/boracay-shutdown-36000-jobs-p56-billion-revenues-may-be-lost">Boracay shutdown: 36,000 jobs, P56 billion revenues may be lost</a></li></ul><p>Resistance has been light in the run-up to the closure, with no violent protests and most of the criticism focusing on the plight of laid-off workers.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/news/04/24/18/leftist-groups-tried-to-fan-boracay-shutdown-opposition-police">Leftist groups tried to fan Boracay shutdown opposition: police</a></li></ul><p>They have been drawn by the relatively good wages on the island that has seen the number of visitors roughly quadruple to 2 million since 2006. </p><div><strong>-- With a report from Agence France-Presse</strong></div>

<p>Boracay island may be reopened to tourists in July, instead of being shuttered for 6 months as planned, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Thursday. <br /> </p>

Boracay island may be reopened to tourists in July, instead of being shuttered for 6 months as planned, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said Thursday.

Boracay may reopen in 4 months - DILG | ABS-CBN

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Boracay may reopen in 4 months - DILG

Boracay may reopen in 4 months - DILG

ABS-CBN News

Published Apr 26, 2018 08:59 AM PHT

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Updated Apr 26, 2018 10:24 PM PHT

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