RESORT operators in Boracay Island, Aklan province are appealing to the government not to order the closure of the world famous tourist spot.
Malacañang should instead just order an extensive cleanup of the entire area, they said.
Noa Macavinta, who owns the Baling Hai Resort in Boracay, spearheaded the Boracay United movement and I Support#SaveBoracay in an eight-minute unity event Saturday evening.
The resort owners turned off the lights in the island for at least eight minutes to show how Boracay would look like if ordered closed.
“Please shut of the lights of your home/business and join us on the beach with your flashlights/ cellphones in the air,” he called on the people through his message posted on his Facebook account.
Macavinta called on all stakeholders to work together and cooperate with the government to create a more sustainable Boracay.
The resort owners also urged all people who visit and live in Boracay to make a stand to unite, protect and save the island, and to reject the island’s closure.
“Shutting an island down does not necessarily mean renewal and is not the only solution. The very act of closure implements the enforced migration and displacement for it’s inhabitants. Where are all the locals going to find their livelihood?”
“Let us all stand together, make your placard, let them hear your voice. No to closure, yes to cleanup,” the group said.