In a press briefing in this town Sunday afternoon, Roque admitted that he has not heard any places from Leyte and Samar provinces considered as alternative destinations by the Inter-Agency Task Force composed of the Department of Tourism (DOT), the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).
“If we have alternative destinations that we want to push, please
inform us so that the airlines would consider these areas when they plot their
new routes. The airlines are diverting flights intended for Kalibo and Caticlan
to alternative tourist destinations,” Roque said.
Roque further asked Leyte Governor Leopoldo Dominico Petilla to
inform the task force on making Eastern Visayas as an alternative to Boracay.
The Palace spokesperson likewise took the occasion to underscore
that the closure of Boracay is not a violation of the right to travel adding
that the government has police power to protect the environment.
“The closure of Boracay is meant to protect the island as one of
our crown jewels -- our tourist destination -- to ensure that it’s not our generation
alone that can discover the paradise that is Boracay but to ensure the future
generation can still see Boracay as a jewel, the crown jewel as it is,” Roque
explained.
Dismayed by water pollution, poor waste management and other
environmental problems, President Rodrigo Duterte has directed the six-month
shutdown of Boracay to visitors starting April 26.
The closure will make way for the rehabilitation of the
world-famous holiday destination. In 2017, Boracay welcomed over 2 million
local and international visitors and generated an estimated PHP56 billion
income from tourism. (SQM/PNA)
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