MANILA - Malacañang on Tuesday said the absence of a declaration of a state of calamity in Boracay two days before its closure on April 26 should not be a major concern.

The signing of a state of calamity will allow the release of some P2 billion needed to assist over 30,000 workers from the formal and informal sectors who will be displaced by the closure of the popular tourist destination. It will also expedite the release of funds for the necessary infrastructure works needed in the island.

The President, however, has yet to sign the declaration

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said the absence of this document should not be a cause for concern as the funds are available anyway.

“The people have been told there will be a state of calamity. It’s just a matter of the president signing the document, and it can be signed anytime,” Roque said in a Palace press briefing.

“That’s not a problem, because the funds are there. You just need the proclamation for these to be used.”

Duterte ordered a 6-month closure of the island paradise, which he described as a cesspool.

Government officials said the island’s sewerage system and road networks have to be improved and its wetlands and forestlands recovered.

Interior Secretary Epimaco Densing earlier said that aside from the proclamation for the state of calamity, Duterte will also issue an executive order for the closure of the island. Both documents remain unavailable two days before the scheduled shutdown of the island.