BORACAY - Regulators on Wednesday urged driver and operators here to surrender unregistered vehicles on the island.

There are some 2,000 "colorum" vehicles in Boracay, according to data from the Land Transportation Office (LTO).

"It's now time to clean undesirable vehicles in the island," LTO-Western Visayas chief Roland Ramos told residents.

Boracay, which is undergoing a 6-month-long cleanup, has a capacity for 1,200 vehicles, according to LTO. The Malay municipal government, however, regulated over 4,000 vehicles.

Motorbikes account for majority of the regulated vehicles, with 3,240 units, followed by 259 passenger tricycles.

Excess vehicles should be taken out of the island, said Ramos.

"Ang pakay ko dito is to clear Boracay of congested vehicles," he said.

(My goal here is to clear Boracay of congested vehicles.)

After illegal vehicles are taken out of Boracay, the LTO will phase out gas and diesel-driven transportation on the island to reduce pollution, said Ramos.

Drivers and operators asked for a 2-month grace period to process their documents. The LTO extended the deadline only until May 15.

Last week, Boracay was shut down to tourists for half a year after President Rodrigo Duterte said the island had turned into a cesspool due to illegal discharge of waste water to the sea.

Report from Nony Basco, ABS-CBN News

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