Pres. Rodrigo Duterte has issued a proclamation placing the island of Boracay under a state of calamity effective April 26, 2018, the first day of the 6-month closure. In a press conference on Thursday, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) secretary Eduardo Año announced that the three main barangays in the island – Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak – will be placed under the state of calamity for more than a year. Año said the declaration took too long and was even made on the day of the closure as it underwent a rigid process. “The National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council convened on Monday to come up with a resolution recommending the declaration. They have to satisfy and meet the conditions,” he said.

Conserva, L. H. (2018, April 27). Boracay under state of calamity. The Daily Guardian, pp. 1, 18.