BORACAY ISLAND, Aklan -- Business owners here are pushing for the designation of a single authority to oversee the development and rehabilitation of this world-famous island.
The current situation is confusing, with the local and provincial governments, the Department of Tourism and the Philippine Tourism Authority, and other government agencies all implementing projects and policies on the island, said businessman Philippe Bartholomi.
Bartholomi is chair of the Boracay Chamber of Commerce Inc. (BCCI) executive committee which met with Tourism Secretary Joseph “Ace” Durano on Friday.
Bartholomi told the Philippine Daily Inquirer that while these agencies were working to develop the island, “this is not toward one direction.”
Durano said he recognized the problem, but he told the business owners that “what is important is that all of us agree on a common agenda so our actions will complement one another.”
Later, he told the Inquirer: “I sympathize with them and I understand why they feel the need for it [one direction].”
But he said the current situation was a reality the stakeholders had to live with.
During the meeting, Durano announced the crafting of a new master plan for the island, which he acknowledged was overcrowded.
The master plan will include wider roads and a drainage system, he said.
“But demolishing or starting from scratch, with all the development already in place, is impossible,” he said, to allay the fears of local business owners the plan would affect their businesses.
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