The DILG will conduct investigation in order to find out where the P1 billion environment fees in Boracay went.
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) will conduct investigations regarding to where the P1-Billion environmental fees in Boracay went.
The government agency is questioning the local government of Boracay what happened to the said amount of money that the tourists paid in the span of ten years.
According to DILG Assistant Sec. Epimaco Densing, every tourist who visits the most popular island in the Philippines has to pay P78, based on the article recently published in The Philippine Star.
Reportedly, the record of the said agency stated that based on their estimation, there are more or less 1 million tourists who visit Boracay every year.
On that note, the local government has collected an estimated amount of P150 million every year for environmental fees.
It was said that the fund is intended to be spent to keep the island clean, however, President Rodrigo Duterte took notice of the degrading state of Boracay and he even called it as a “cesspool”.
With regards to that, the government is now conducting clean up drive all over the island and those establishments which will be proven transgressing the environmental laws and zoning regulations will be punished.
Aside from DILG, the President also commanded the Department of Tourism and Department of Environment and Natural Resources as well as other government agencies to restore the beauty of Boracay within six months.
The investigations of the said agencies in order to point out which establishments will be forced to close already started last week.
The local government officials will also face the verdict for allowing resorts to be put up without environmental clearance and building permit, based on the article.
Even Senator Cynthia Villar, whose family owns the Boracay Sands resort, submitted to the said step of the administration for the restoration of the island, based on a previous article.