Senator Leila de Lima has urged the government to allow Aklanons govern Boracay island and allow its local government to spearhead reforms and rehabilitation of the famous tourist destination.

De Lima said she fears the bill that seeks to create a government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC) to manage Boracay would only be detrimental to the island.

The senator is referring to the proposed creation of the Boracay Island Development Authority (BIDA) bill or House Bill No. 9826, which the House of Representatives approved on second reading last Aug. 4 despite the opposition of local officials, national government agencies and different groups.

The measure, a consolidation of at least nine similar bills, provides for the creation of BIDA as a GOCC with corporate powers that would formulate the Boracay Action Plan.

Under the bill, BIDA would be given the power to “contract, lease, buy, sell, acquire, own, or dispose real property of whatever nature.”

“Make no mistake, this is an act of unjust taking driven by people who are salivating at the prospect of using the island and its natural resources as a cash cow to satisfy their personal greed, rather than the betterment of the residents,” De Lima said in a statement.

“And it would be just the beginning if allowed to push through,” she further said noting that this is the latest attempt by the Duterte administration to take away from Aklanons what is rightfully theirs.

The lawmaker noted that while the rehabilitation of the island, spearheaded by the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF), has made significant gains in revitalizing the island’s ecosystem, the national government should eventually return the operation and management of Boracay to the local government.

“While it is the national government’s job to guide our local governments to reach their potential. We must not fall into the trap of governing in place of the duly-elected officials in the local level,” she stated.

De Lima reminded that under the Constitution, local government enjoy local autonomy, and it is also within their power to create their own sources of revenues.

“The proposal, as it stands, gives BIDA the authority to operate and license tourism-related activities, which constitutes the bulk of the income of Aklan from the Boracay island,” she said.

“This income is not only necessary for the operations of the Aklan provincial government, it is essential for the provision of services to the Aklanons,” she explained.

She further said pushing the passage of the BIDA bill shows the “utter hypocrisy” on the part of the Duterte administration as it campaigns on the platform of federalism while taking away the control of local resources from LGUs.

“This just goes to show that any moves by the Duterte group for Charter change, in the guise of federalism is the cure-all for our nation’s woes, is but a ruse to insert changes that will only benefit members of their circle,” she pointed out.

“Their goal is not to solve problems, but to make profit,” she said.