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A beach resort in Boracay was ordered closed yesterday for operating without the necessary permits and clearances from the national and local governments.

The Boracay Inter-agency Task Force served the closure order to Boracay Plaza Beach Resort located in Station 1 in Boracay Island. 

“This is part of our continuing effort to compel all establishments to comply with environmental laws and regulations,” says DENR Director Natividad Bernardino, newly-appointed general manager of Boracay Inter-agency Rehabilitation Management Group. 

On April last year, Boracay Plaza Beach Resort was issued a demolition order after its front and back sides were found to have exceeded the required coastal and road easements.  

Existing laws and regulations set the coastal easement in the island at 30 meters and the road easement at six meters from the center of the road. All establishments found violating easement laws were ordered to suspend operations pending the removal of their illegal structures. 

In the case of Boracay Plaza, it continued to operate in defiance of the law while all of its neighboring establishments have demolished their illegal structures.  

 “We appeal to everyone concerned to comply with the law,” said Bernardino. “Let us not waste the success of the rehabilitation efforts which started last year. All establishments which have yet to comply with existing laws and regulations should not operate until they secure all necessary permits and clearances. There should be no let-up in our efforts to complete the rehabilitation of Boracay Island,” she added.

Bernardino has initiated similar crackdowns in El Nido and Coron, Palawan and Puerto Galera, Oriental doro when she was regional director of DENR-MIMAROPA.###