'No to Bida' tarps spread around Boracay

TARPAULINS bearing "No to Bida" have been spreading around Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan this week.

This developed after both the committee on government enterprise and privatization and the committee on good local government in Congress jointly approved the Bida Bill. The bill is aimed at placing Boracay under the government-owned and controlled corporation (GOCC).

In his 2020 State of the Nations Address, President Rodrigo Duterte called Congress to pass a law that will oversee the management of this resort island to ensure environmental sustainability.

Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores said they support the Bida Law only if it is for regulatory purposes "but not as a government-controlled body."

For his part, Provincial Board Member Jay Tejada said the Sangguniang Panlalawigan of Aklan along with several stakeholders in Aklan is opposed to the GOCC concept of the Bida law.

"The Bida as a GOCC concept has been patterned to that of the creation of the Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority. But the situation of Subic is vastly different from Boracay," Tejada said.

The local government of Malay is also invoking the local government code to strongly opposed the passage of the Bida Law as a GOCC.

The "No to Bida" tarpaulins here have been installed by the One Boracay Movement. The tarpaulins were placed at the front beach, passenger boats, jetty ports, residential houses and business establishments.

For his part, Congressman Eric Yap of ACT-CIS party list said the plan to convert Boracay as a GOCC has been initiated by Davao Congressman Paolo Duterte.

"The reason why we are not progressing because we fear change. I will not run for any political position if the Bida Law becomes a failure," he said.