The rehabilitation of Boracay Island will be turned over to the local government unit (LGU) when the Inter-Agency Task Force created to rehabilitate the world-famous beach is disbanded on June 30, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary Eduardo Año said on Wednesday, May 25.
Except for some areas, Año said almost all the rehabilitation projects on the island are already completed.
He noted that the unfinished projects on the island were halted due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“Yung sa Boracay (rehabilitation projects) kasi hanggang June 30 na lang din yung existence ng BIATF (Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force) at ito ay ite-turnover na natin sa LGU. Bale yung LGU na yung magiging pinakamagpapatakbo ng Boracay (In the rehabilitation projects in Boracay, the existence of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force will only be up to June 30 and this will be turned over to the LGU. So the LGU will now be undertaking the rehabilitation projects in Boracay),’’ Año explained.
However, Año noted that the national government may still take over the rehabilitation of Boracay in the event the next President orders the formation of a new task force under the new administration.
In September 2021, President Duterte issued Executive Order (EO) 147 extending the term of the BIATF until June 30, 2022, the day his term ends.
Through EO 53, the BIATF was created to facilitate the rehabilitation and ensure the ecological sustainability of the island of Boracay. (Chito A. Chavez)