A total of 282 of the 339 structures including commercial, residential, and other establishments encroaching on the 25+5-meter beach easement have been demolished, with only just few remaining houses left for demolition.
The rehabilitation of adopted wetlands is still on progress, while Wetland No. 9 located in Brgy. Manoc-manoc is almost cleared of illegal settlers except for one remaining house.
For the enforcement of the 12-meter road right of way for the widening and improvement of the Boracay Circumferential Road, 86% of establishments or 1,057 of 1,230 total structures are now compliant.
Aside from the progress of the rehabilitation, BIATF Co-chair and DOT Secretary Puyat said that the COVID 19 vaccination of the island’s residents and tourism workers is expected to react 100% by the end of October 2021 thus, the first tourism area to have a fully vaccinated residents and tourism workers.
Almost 92% of the tourism workers including tricycle drivers, souvenir shop personnel, and massage therapists have received their first dose or 11,779 of 12,809 workers while 77.87 percent or 19,039 of 24,451 residents have received their first dose.
“Boracay Island Rehabilitation is one of our major accomplishments here in DENR 6. We have a visual proof that this rehabilitation is a success,” DENR 6 RED Livino Duran said.
“We will not stop here, this environment protection will continue for our future generations,” he added.
Meanwhile, the BIATF member and Aklan Governor Florencio T. Miraflores said that Boracay Island will soon accept fully vaccinated individuals without needing to secure a negative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test result. It is one way of the Local Government of Aklan to regain the low tourism industry of the island and the province as well. (Story and photo byDENR 6/PIA6)
