A state of calamity will be declared Boracay island in Aklan within the week, formalizing the six-month closure of the country’s premier tourist draw. “It’s in the works,” Presidential Spokesman Harry Roque Roque said while he was in Boracay for the April 17 working conference initiated by the Department of Tourism (DOT) with local stakeholders. The island will be off limits to visitors starting April 26. Without a state of calamity declaration, the government cannot release the R2.3-billion emergency fund for workers who will be displaced when the island’s tourist establishments and services shut down.

Yap, T., & Luci-Atienza, C. M. (2018, April 19). Boracay state of calamity declared this week. Manila Bulletin, p. 7.