Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte on Wednesday approved the decision to close the country’s most famous tourist island, Boracay, for six months from April 26, his spokesman said, paving the way for a major cleanup of what he had described as a “cesspool”. 

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque announced Duterte’s decision via Twitter without giving further details. 

Located on the northern tip of central Panay island, Boracay is a top destination for local and foreign tourists because of its sugary white sand, lively night scene and abundant water sports. The island earns revenue from luxury hotels such as Shangri-La’s five-star Boracay Resort & Spa and beachside restaurants and also employs thousands of local residents.

In 2017, the island attracted more than two million visitors and had revenue of over a billion US dollars. In 2017, it was voted as the Best Island in the World by Conde Nast Traveler. But in February, President Rodrigo Duterte lashed out at Boracay business owners, saying they had turned the waters off the island into a cesspool. In the weeks that followed, hundreds of establishments were found to have violated environmental laws. Closures and demolitions were ordered. 

Most stakeholders on the island do not dispute the need for cleanup or for building new and better infrastructure. What they worry about are the possible repercussions of drastic measures the government is already taking and could still be taking. But the government insists, despite recently approving the construction of a giant casino resort, that the crackdown and subsequent rehabilitation are long overdue. 

“Do we have to wait for that time? That is the question we are positioning. And the government says no, we will no longer wait for that time. We will act now to sustain and save Boracay,” said Tourism Undersecretary Ricky Alegre in an interview with CGTN. 

Duterte, whose leadership style has been criticized as dictatorial, has castigated the local government and residents for “overzealous” development and permitting beachfront building with inadequate sewage and water treatment facilities. 

Many businesses on the island have been releasing wastewater directly into the sea, violating rules on wastewater management, according to Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu. 

Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra, described the discussion about Boracay’s temporary closure during a cabinet meeting late on Wednesday as “exhaustive” and said affected companies would receive financial assistance. 

Philippine Airlines said it will scale down its services to Caticlan and Kalibo airports, the gateways to Boracay, for six months from April following the government’s decision. 

It will expand flights to other tourist and provincial destinations in the Philippines, it said in a statement. 

The hope is that even as it appears, Boracay residents and business owners will have to brace for a hard landing, efforts to save Boracay would pay off in the long run. 

(With input from Reuters)