Ni Leonel M. Abasola
Iginiit ni Senator Cynthia Villar na napagkasunduan ng mga senador ang hindi pagpapasara sa buong Boracay Island kundi ang mga establisimyento lamang na may mga paglabag.
“We reached a consensus that it is really not fair to close all the establishments in the area, but only those who violated the rules or did not comply with the law. They should be penalized and the compliant ones rewarded,” sabi ni Villar, chairperson ng Senate Committee on Environment and Natural Resources.
Sinabi pa ni Villar na ito rin ang panawagan ng mga taga-Boracay, na nangangambang mawalan ng pagkakakitaan sa planong total closure ng isla.
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“We do not want our fellow Filipinos there to suffer unnecessarily by losing their livelihood. In any situation, we always try to come up with a solution that will minimize inconvenience and lessen adverse repercussions,” ani Villar.
Kasama ang Senate committees on tourism at local government, nagsagawa ng public hearing sa Boracay nitong Marso 1, subalit nauna roon ay nilibot ni Villar ang para sa ocular inspection.
Sinabi rin ng senadora na bagamat may pag-aaring establisimyento ang kanyang pamilya sa Boracay, hindi ito nakaaapekto sa Senate inquiry, taliwas sa ilang malisyosong pahayag.
Paliwanag ni Villar, binili ng Vista Land & Lifescapes Inc. noong 2016 ang 50-room boutique hotel na Boracay Sands na nasa Station 3.
“It was never a secret that we have a property in Boracay, even my fellow senators know about it. Being an elected official, I am not part of the management of our business. I also think that the closure or non-closure of Boracay will not really affect Vista Land, which has projects in over 136 towns and cities in the Philippines,” ani Villar.
