(Salutations)

Good morning, ladies and gentlemen. It is good to see familiar faces and equally good to be in the company of like-minded people.

With the majority of principal members of the Boracay Inter-agency Task Force now present, we have a quorum. I, thus, formally call this meeting to order.

We still have the pandemic to contend with that forced us to have this meeting with limitations. With or without limitations, this does not in any way or manner restrict us in the BIATF from performing our tasks.

On a happy note, I would like to report that we are nearing the vaccination of all tourism workers here in Boracay. The latest report that reached states that we are currently at a 93 percent vaccination rate. Mataas ito. This is more than what I expected considering that we targeted a 100 percent vaccination rate by the end of the year. We will hear the report about this later.

Based on the update given by GM Natividad Bernardino, the 25+5 beach easement will be cleared and completed by June 2022. We are now at an 83 percent completion rate, therefore, making June 2022 a realistic goal for its total completion.

I am happy to inform you know that Wetland No. 9 is almost completely cleared except for 1 remaining house, while Wetland No. 6, which was previously cleared, will be fenced to prevent possible encroachment of residential occupants of adjoining land.

I hope some of you will stay on until tomorrow to join the beach forest tree planting at Station 3. This will be somewhere around this beach resort and Astoria Hotel. We are doing this as a nature-based solution to address the issue that the 25+5 easement has shrunk a bit because of soil erosion. I am glad that other beach resorts have also committed to participate by planting Agoho and other appropriate tree species.

The term of our BIATF has again been extended under Executive Order No. 147 which was signed by our President Rodrigo Roa Duterte just last September 14, 2021. Puro number 4, my lucky number. I take this as a good sign.

We will lengthily discuss EO 147 later as this is part of our agenda in today’s meeting. As we all know, the 2022 polls in just around the corner, thus, we must ensure that we have the proper mechanisms in place so that our hard work and efforts would not turn to naught. We hope that what we leave behind for Boracay would be those that are worthy to be sustained or built upon by those succeeding us. Let us seriously ponder upon this further in this meeting.

Other matters in the agenda include the Boracay Rehabilitation Milestones and Targets for the Calendar Year 2021 to 2022; COVID-19 Situation and Vaccination Roll-out for Boracay Tourism Frontliners; Review of BIATF Policy designating Caticlan Airport for the exclusive use of tourists while Kalibo Airport for the exclusive use of authorized persons outside residents, locally-stranded individuals, and returning overseas Filipino workers; Land Titling in Boracay Island; Matters that need the decision of BIATF Principal members; schedule of our next BIATF meeting, and other concerns that need to be discussed.

Let us now proceed to the approval of today’s meeting agenda.

(Wait for the move to approve the agenda.)

I declare this meeting’s agenda approved. The Head of the Secretariat, Undersecretary Ernesto D. Adobo Jr. may now have the floor so we can proceed to our discussion.

Thank you.