Further Amending Executive Order No. 53 (S. 2018), as Amended, to Extend the Term of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force

September 14, 2021

EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 147

FURTHER AMENDING EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 53 (S. 2018), AS AMENDED, TO EXTEND THE TERM OF THE BORACAY INTER-AGENCY TASK FORCE

WHEREAS, through Proclamation No. 475 (s. 2018), a state of calamity remains in full force and effect in the barangays of Balabag, Manoc-Manoc and Yapak ("Boracay island") in the Municipality of Malay, Province of Aklan, pursuant to Republic Act (RA) No. 10121 or the "Philippine Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Act of 2010";

WHEREAS, Executive Order (EO) No. 53 (s. 2018) created the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force ("Task Force") to facilitate the rehabilitation and ensure the ecological sustainability of the island of Boracay;

WHEREAS, EO No. 115 (s. 2020) extended the term of the Task Force for another year or until 08 May 2021;

WHEREAS, pursuant to EO No. 53, as amended, the National Government approved the Boracay Medium-Term Action Plan ("Boracay Action Plan") which identifies programs and projects for the island's rehabilitation, as well as safeguards to reverse ecological degradation, along key thematic areas: (a) Enforcement of Laws and Regulations; (b) Pollution Control and Prevention; (c) Rehabilitation and Recovery of Ecosystems; and (d) Reliable Infrastructure, Responsive Social Services, and Sustainable Economic Activities;

WHEREAS, based on validation conducted as of 30 April 2021, the following, among others, have been accomplished by the Task Force:

(a) 80% or 271 out of 339 establishments are now compliant with the 25 + 5-meter beach easement;

(b) 83% of establishments or 1,017 out of 1,230 total structures are now compliant with the 12-meter road easement;

(c) the Department of Environment and Natural Resources has prepared 163 cases against illegal occupants of forestlands, of which 54 cases have already been filed in court by the Department of Justice and the National Bureau of Investigation, and one (1) by the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office of Aklan and Community Environment and Natural Resources Office of Boracay;

(d) the Environmental Management Bureau has filed a total of 262 cases before the Pollution Adjudication Board, 160 of which have already resulted in settlement of fines;

(e) based on the ambient water quality monitoring, all beaches, except at the Tulubhan outfall, are now Class SB-compliant, which means that they are suitable for recreational activities;

(f) 96% of accommodation establishments adjacent to the White beach with 40 rooms and above, and 95% of accommodation establishments outside the White beach with rooms 50 and above, have satisfactorily constructed their individual Sewerage Treatment Plants;

(g) two (2) wetlands in Boracay island have been fully recovered from illegal settlers, as part of the ongoing rehabilitation of all the nine (9) wetlands of the island;

(h) the 10-year Solid Waste Management Plan, and Cave Management Plan have been approved and their implementation continuously being monitored;

(i) Phases 1 and 2 of the rehabilitation and improvement of the Boracay Circumferential Road have already been completed in 2020, while Phase 3 is ongoing, and Phase 4 is planned to be implemented in 2022; and

(j) 57% of Phase 2 of the Boracay Drainage Improvement Project, under the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority, has been completed.

WHEREAS, the COVID-19 pandemic and the imposition of community quarantine measures have resulted in unprecedented delays and massive disruptions on the implementation of critical programs and projects based on the key thematic areas of the Boracay Action Plan;

WHEREAS, the Task Force has recommended the extension of its mandate under EO No. 53, as amended, to ensure completion of the remaining milestones of the Boracay Action Plan until 2022; and

WHEREAS, Section 17, Article VII of the Constitution vests in the President the power of control over all executive departments, bureaus and offices, as well as the mandate to ensure the faithful execution of laws;

NOW THEREFORE, I, RODRIGO ROA DUTERTE, President of the Republic of the Philippines, by virtue of the powers vested in me by the Constitution and existing laws, do hereby order the following:

SECTION 1. Amendment. — Section 1 of EO No. 53, as amended, is hereby further amended to read as follows:

"Section 1. Creation of the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force. — The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force ("Task Force") is hereby created, to be composed of the following:

xxx xxx xxx

The Task Force shall be deemed dissolved on30 June 2022, unless extended or sooner terminated by the President."

SECTION 2. Unaffected Provisions. — Except as expressly modified by this Order, all other provisions of EO No. 53, as amended, shall remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 3. Repeal. — All orders, rules and regulations, issuances, or any part thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Order, are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

SECTION 4. Effectivity. — This Order shall take effect immediately.

DONE in the City of Manila, this 14th day of September, in the year of Our Lord, Two Thousand and Twenty-One.

 

Published in the Official Gazette, Vol. 117, No. 38, p. 9405 on September 20, 2021.