The Civil Aeronautics Board issued a moratorium on new and additional flights to Kalibo and Caticlan to preserve the gains of the Boracay rehabilitation.
The CAB said in a June 10 resolution its board imposed a moratorium on all new or additional scheduled and charter flights to Kalibo and Caticlan airports in order to keep tourist flows in check.
President Rodrigo Durtere earlier issued a directive that only 6,405 tourists can enter the island of Boracay daily to sustain environmental and other gains achieved during the island’s six-month closure when it was rehabilitated.
“Since the reopening of Boracay last October 26, 2018, tourist arrivals have slowly crept up and past the 6,405-daily tourist arrival especially during the month of April 2019,” the CAB said.
It said the carrying capacity of the island of Boracay was determined to be 19,215 warm bodies at any given time. Boracay Island was closed to the public for six months from April 26 to October 26, 2018.
Boracay is popular with Chinese and South Korean visitors, which are the largest markets of the Philippines tourism industry.
The Department of Public Works and Highways in March said the first phase of the Boracay Circumferential Road Rehabilitation Project was substantially completed.
The first phases which covers the concreting of two-lane Portland Concrete Cement Pavement road, including sidewalks with paving blocks, ramps and planting strips.
The completion of the first phase means the 2.66-kilometer section from Cagban Port to Hue Hotel and the 1.462-kilometer segment from Hue Hotel to Elizalde will be fully opened to motorists.
Pubic Works Secretary Mark Villar said the agency would also start the civil works for Boracay Circumferential Road Rehabilitation Project Phase 2, which will start from the Elizalde property passing through Ambassador Hotel to City Mall, with the length of 1.9 kilometers.
The second phase is set for completion and opening before year-end. It also includes the improvement of road from Tambisaan Port to Rotonda with a length of 1.462 kilometers.
Other than improvement of Boracay Circumferential Road, the DPWH will work on the road along Lake Town, near D’ Mall.
Villar added the DPWH was in coordinating with representatives of utilities providers Boracay Water and Boracay Tubi to speed up the projects.
