Manila, Philippines – Senator Antonio Trillanes IV questioned the “real motive” of Boracay closure on Thursday that will take effect on April 26.
Trillanes expressed doubt on the “haste” shut down order of the famous tourist destination for six months.
“I will question the real motive kung bakit ipinasara ang Boracay. Hindi ako naniniwala na environmentalist ito si Mr. Duterte,” said Trillanes
He said that Boracay’s rehabilitation could be done without closing it down, noting that not all establishments on the island have violated environmental regulations.
“Ang suspetsa ko rito kaya nila painapasara yung Boracay para maipasok yung mga kargamento – ‘yung mga semento o anuman para maitayo ‘yung casino na ‘yun. ‘Yan ang suspetsa ko but we will validate that kasi it doesn’t make sense at all to close it…” he said.
Trillanes, the staunch critic of President Rodrigo Duterte said that there were too many “coincidence” when the alleged owner of a casino made a courtesy call to Duterte in December last year. After which, the franchise was granted, then an order was issued to shut down the island.
Meanwhile, Senator Joel Villanueva, the chair of the Senate committee on labor, also shared his concern on the “haste” closure of Boracay as the government should put a concrete plan for the employees of Boracay affected by the its shut down.
“It is unfortunate that the rehabilitation plan and livelihood interventions for the workers has not been clearly set in motion first before the closure of Boracay,” Villanueva said in a statement.
“Mahirap at kumplikado dahil nasa drafting stage pa ang (It’s hard and complicated because it’s still in the drafting stage, the) guidelines on Boracay shutdown. At any rate, we hope that all stakeholders are being consulted, there are clear accountabilities and timelines for the deliverables,” he said.
On the other hand, Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque said in a news briefing that the president would declare a state of calamity in the island prior its closure on April 26. Through that, a total of P2 billion worth of calamity funds will be allotted to the displaced workers of legitimate businesses in the island, not to the resort's owners.
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