Press Release
March 9, 2018

Villar: Recommendation on Boracay is Consensus among Senate Committees' Members

Senator Cynthia Villar, chairperson of the Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources, said the recommendation of not totally closing down the entire Boracay Island but only erring establishments there, is a consensus among senators.

"We reached a consensus that it is really not fair to close all the establishments in the area, but only those who violated the rules or did not comply with the law. They should be penalized and the compliant ones rewarded," said Villar.

Villar's committee, jointly with the Senate committees on Tourism and Local Government, conducted a public hearing in Boracay on March 2 to discuss the environmental woes plaguing the island. Prior to the hearing, Villar also went around Boracay and did an ocular inspection of its establishments and facilities.

She added that it was also the clamor of the people in Boracay who are afraid that all of them will lose their sources of income or livelihood. The senators were greeted by banners and posters requesting them to save the island and not close it down.

"We do not want our fellow Filipinos there to suffer unnecessarily by losing their livelihood. In any situation, we always try to come up with a solution that will minimize inconvenience and lessen adverse repercussions," Villar cited.

The senator further cited that the fact that her family owns a property in Boracay does not in any way affect her role in the Senate inquiry into Boracay, as some has maliciously insinuated. Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. bought 50-room boutique hotel Boracay Sands in Station 3 in 2016.

According to Villar, "It was never a secret that we have a property in Boracay, even my fellow senators know about it. Being an elected official, I am not part of the management of our business. I also think that the closure or non-closure of Boracay will not really affect Vista Land, which has projects in over 136 towns and cities in the Philippines."

She added that she is more concerned about the state of the wetlands in the island than her family's business. Five out of nine wetlands in Boracay are already damaged because they were occupied by a mall, hotel and illegal settlers.

"Wetlands play an important role in our environment. They are a natural flood deterrent and protection from storm surges. I have been a staunch advocate or wetland protection and conservation. The wetlands in Boracay have to be restored and preserved," she said. Villar leads the efforts in the protection of the Las Pinas Paranaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area (LPPCHEA), named as a Wetland of International Importance by Ramsar.

The senator added that the Senate will still conduct hearings and she will also file a bill seeking the creation of a Boracay Authority to oversee the island's development.

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