By Genalyn Kabiling The Boracay inter-agency task force should consider relaxing restrictions on the media coverage of the rehabilitation of the island during its six-month closure, according to a Palace official. Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said he has proposed that journalists be given media passes as part of the "Boracay Press Corps" to cover the rehabilitation works. Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque Jr.
(YANCY LIM/PRESIDENTIAL PHOTO / MANILA BULLETIN) The accredited journalists could be treated as “residents” of the island during the coverage, Roque added. "In the Cabinet meeting, I personally appealed to the inter-agency to reconsider the 9 to 5 rule applied to members of the media to cover," he said during a Palace press briefing. "I do agree that media does not sleep and of course although a comparison was made between Boracay and Marawi, I said wala namang IED sa Boracay [There is no IED in Boracay}," he added. The inter-agency composed of the Department of Interior and Local Government, Department of Environment and Natural Resources, and the Department of Tourism, earlier proposed some guidelines for media coverage during the shutdown of Boracay. The guidelines included limiting the number of reporters per media entity, and restricting media coverage in the island from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Roque believes that he has convinced the Cabinet to allow the accreditation of "Boracay Press Corps." "I think I persuaded the Cabinet that provided that there will be accreditation for a Boracay Press Corps, then they can issue media cards to accredited members of the Boracay Press Corps and they can be treated as residents in the island," he said. "But let’s await the final word from the inter-agency. I do not want to preempt them. But my impression was they were in agreement before I left the meeting. That was the last point that I raised before I left the meeting," he added.