Two years since the dismantling of illegal structures on Boracay Island began, the local government unit (LGU) of Malay, Alkan still owes the hauling and garbage collecting service provider about P117 million.

This was among the crucial matters discussed during the Boracay Interagency Task Force (BAITF) meeting Thursday, March 18, Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Usec. Benny Antiporda said.

“We all know that on the closure of Boracay, which lasted for six months, wherein massive demolition of illegal structures were made and we know that there's a lot of debris that was disposed of. During that time, the local government of Malay had a hard time in settling the disposal fee even until now, so the Malay LGU is seeking for the response of the DENR,” Antiporda said during a press briefing.

“Until now, we have yet to settle that so a while ago we talked about it and we will come up with the budget proposal for DBM (Department of Budget and Management) for approval,” the official said.

According to Antiporda, the Malay government needs the P117 million to cover for the cost of almost two years worth of garbage collecting sevice under the rehabilitation effort.

Malay Acting Mayor Frolibar Bautista said every year, the local government of Malay allocates P50 million for hauling and P38 million for the operation of the landfill. 

“But in the previous years, the P50 million and P38 million is not enough to pay the cost of the operation because of the closure that increased the solid waste,” Bautista said.

The local chief executive, however, clarified that despite the unsettled payment, Boracay Island has remained zero-waste since 2019.

All solid waste, including debris from illegal structures, are “transported every day” to Caticlan, he added.