Malay Council seeks increase of maximum height limit for Boracay buildings

Despite the effort of the national government for environmental sustainability in this resort island, the Malay council is seeking to allow the increase of maximum height limit for buildings in this resort island.

The proposal is embodied in the municipal ordinance number 328 series of 2013 deliberated and passed by the Malay body last June 18.

It can be recalled that President Benigno Simeon Aquino III recently asked for the creation of Boracay Task Force which hopes to ensure environmental sustainability in this resort island. The task force is composed of departments of tourism (DOT), of environment and natural resources (DENR) and, of interior and local government (DILG) among others.

In the said proposed ordinance, the council seeks to add sections four and five of the municipal ordinance 267 series of 2008 and at the same time conduct amendments to the section ten of such local legislation.

The addendum highlights the maximum height limitations of the building that maybe constructed from one hundred meters and beyond the buffer zone shall not exceed 16 meters five-storey building provided that the lot area shall be 5,000 square meters but less than two hectares.

Another addendum features the maximum height of the building that maybe constructed from 100 and beyond the buffer zone shall not exceed 20 meters six-storey building provided that the lot area is two hectares and above.

The original ordinance stipulates that the maximum limit for buildings in this resort island will only be at least three-storey to prevent Boracay from reaching its overloaded capacity.

The council justifies that the continued influx of tourist in this resort island is overwhelming, industry development is inevitable and progress can no longer be suppressed, thus a need to increase the maximum height limitations of buildings in this resort island.

The Malay municipal council also mandates that applicants in the said local legislation should post amounting to five percent of the total cost of the project but shall not exceed P1 million.

The Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP)of Aklan has called the municipal engineering of Malay and the proponents for a committee hearing on Monday August 19 for the provincial board members to decide whether to endorse the said ordinance or not.