Determine carrying capacity of Boracay before reopening — Binay

MANILA, Philippines — The government should first determine the carrying capacity of Boracay before engaging in talks about its reopening to tourists, Sen. Nancy Binay said.

Speaking with reporters after a hearing on the administration’s plan on Boracay on Monday, Binay said the agencies in charge of the rehabilitation of Boracay have yet to disclose the parameters for the reopening of the tourist destination.

 The Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) announced that Boracay would reopen on Oct. 26, but Binay said there are no details about what this actually means.

 She also pointed out that the government should determine how many visitors Boracay could accommodate at any given time to prevent the same problems that led to its closure in the first place.

 “The number one question is, what is the carrying capacity of the island? Before we even talk about reopening Boracay, we should first discuss the carrying capacity of Boracay,” said Binay, chairperson of the Senate committee on tourism.

 According to Bighani Manipula, assistant director of the Ecosystems Research and Development Bureau of the DENR, the complete data on the carrying capacity of Boracay should be out by the end of August. 

 Currenly, Boracay’s capacities for swimming and sunbathing areas are at 5,000 and 8,000 visitors, respectively.

Interior and Local Government Undersecretary Epimaco Densing said the 2008 data showed that Boracay had a carrying capacity of 35,000. Before it was closed, the island aready had 32,000 residents. 

 During peak season, the total number of people visiting Boracay goes over 100,000.

Binay said she is considering a visit to Boracay to personally check on the status of the rehabilitation of the island.

 Boracay was officially shut down last April 26 upon orders of President Duterte, who described the island as a cesspool.

According to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), 26,050 workers were displaced in Boracay because of the closure.

 Out of the total, 21,286 belong to the formal sector, while the rest are considered informal workers or those not officially employed by the resorts in the island.

Go distributes financial aid

Meanwhile, Sen. Antonio Trillanes IV asked why Special Assistant to the President Christopher Go was in Boracay distributing financial assistance to the residents. 

Benjo Benavidez, director of DOLE’s Bureau of Labor Relations, explained that President Duterte was invited to the island to join the Tulong Pangkabuhayan activity. Go represented the President.  

Trillanes said it did not look good that the very person who made the people in Boracay lose their livelihood was being made to appear as their rescuer.

 He advised the DOLE to just do its work quietly instead of undertaking publicity stunts.

 Benavidez said the workers from the informal sector are entitled to receive P9,500 per month under a cash-for-work program.

 For the formal sector workers, Benavidez said they are entitled to P24,000 for six months or P4,200 a month as financial assistance.

 Benavidez said only 20 percent of the over 21,000 formal sector workers have applied and received the financial assistance. They received the funds two months after the closure of Boracay.

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