Belgian Ambassador Commends Government for Boracay Rehab

It’s not only Filipinos who thought that the Duterte administration’s decision to rehabilitate Boracay was a smart move. The Belgian Ambassador to Manila Michel Goffin also said it was a “good decision.”

“Let’s be frank, when you cleaned Boracay, when you cleaned El Nido, this was a very good decision. President (Rodrigo) Duterte is doing the right thing in cleaning up these areas,” said the ambassador during the King’s Day reception in Makati.

Goffin also gave praise to the upcoming rehabilitation plans for other tourist destinations in the country, specifically El Nido in Palawan.

“You have such a beautiful country, not only in Boracay and El Nido, everywhere else. Let’s keep it, together, clean and sustainable,” he said.

Last October 26, Boracay Island was re-opened to visitors after its six-month rehabilitation.

The Belgian Ambassador also said that initiatives like this prove that the government is committed towards sustainable tourism, which will eventually help attract more tourists.

More Belgian tourists

Last year, at least 15,000 visitors from Brussels visited the country. Although this number continues to increase, the Philippines isn’t really known in Brussels as a country filled with beautiful tourist destinations – something that should be changed according to the ambassador.

“The Philippines should be much more promoted in Belgium, in Europe, because everyone knows Thailand. We sort of start to know Indonesia, but the Philippines is still very far and there’s a big market out there,” he said.

Goffin also stressed that the connectivity between island provinces should be improved through better infrastructure.

“Really, you have beautiful places but even for me, it’s difficult to reach. There’s no train, there’s no public transport, crossing islands on a ferry is really difficult. You should really improve infrastructure,” he said.

This dilemma is currently being addressed by the administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program, which prioritizes massive infrastructure projects such as airports, bridges, and train systems.

via Philippine News Agency / Joyce Ann L. Rocamora