Boracay, an island in the Philippines that Singaporeans love to visit and take a lot of Instagram photos of, will be closed for six months, starting April 26, 2018.

The closure will involve having airlines and ferries suspend their Boracay services, and making the beaches off-limits.

Environmental degradation

This decision was ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte after visiting Boracay in February 2018.

He observed that the island desperately needed a clean-up.

On Feb. 9, Duterte spoke at the 7th Business Forum and called Boracay a "cesspool":

"You go into the water, it's smelly. Smells of what? Sh*t."

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He also attributed the sewage and environment-related problems to the failure of the local government to enforce ordinances on marine conservation, garbage and sanitation.

For instance, at least 300 hotels and resorts have been dumping waste into canals when they were instead legally required to build their own sewage and wastewater treatment facilities.

Impact of this decision

The recommendation to shut down the island for the clean-up was approved by President Duterte despite pleas to carry out the shutdown in phases.

The closure will result in hefty costs on the island's tourism sector. Every year, Boracay attracts more than two million tourists and brings in more than US$1.12 billion in revenue.

According to Boracay Foundation, a non-profit organisation, they also stated that over 36,000 workers stands to lose their jobs as a result of this decision.

However, the government remains firm in their stance.

According to Environment Undersecretary Jonas Leones:

"An iron fist is needed to bring it back to its previous condition. It will be a temporary thing."

Top photo from Shutterstock