A whiff of foul-smelling air while in Boracay prompted him to order the closure and eventual cleanup of the world-famous island, President Rodrigo Duterte revealed on Wednesday. In a speech during the 31st-anniversary rites of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), the President said he had sniffed early on the stench on the island, prompting him to call it almost two years later as a “cesspool.” “When I was campaigning [for the presidential election] I went there. The wind was strong and as I was standing, waiting for the flight, [I said] what is that smell?” he said with a grimace.

Gascon, M. (2018, July 6). Du30 ordered Boracay cleanup after catching whiff of foul air. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A9.