Philippines: workers on tourist island Boracay fear paradise will be lost with closure
The Philippine government has prepared 2 billion pesos (US$38.4 million) for a ‘calamity fund’ for workers in Boracay. But will it help?
Along the shores of Philippines’ top holiday island, Boracay, businesses like massage parlours, souvenir stalls, tattoo shops and boat rentals are still thriving while tourists bask in the sun on the powdery white sand, but not for long.
Workers in Boracay, the Philippines’ most popular tourist spot, have appealed for aid before the holiday island’s impending closure.
It reflects the growing pressures on beach resorts across Southeast Asia as infrastructure buckles under record visitor numbers.
Nearly 200 Boracay businesses were found to be discharging untreated waste water into the sea, resulting in increased concentration of human faeces along the beaches and posing health risks to swimmers.
The central Philippines island’s informal workers - masseuses, tattoo artists, sand sculptors and boat rental owners - said they will lose their primary source of living and sought support from the government.