• The ECCP president said the government does not need to close Boracay to clean it up
• President Duterte warned that he would close Boracay if its waste water problems are not fixed in 6 months
• Boracay lacks enough sewer lines and pipes that will connect homes and businesses to the island’s waste water treatment plant

Reacting to the earlier warning made by President Rodrigo Duterte that he would order the closure of Boracay if the health and sanitation issues of the island are not fixed in six months, the president of European Chamber of Commerce in the Philippines (ECCP) said the government does not need to close it to clean it up.

ECCP President Guenter Taus warned that Boracay would lose the tourists and cause huge losses to businesses and damage the island’s image overseas for “sending the wrong signals.”

“You will lose all the tourists. So, in my opinion, do a clean-up, do it alongside while still operating the island, otherwise you start from scratch again,” Taus said.

Taus also said that the six months deadline set by the President is not enough to solve the waste water problems of Boracay.

“I don’t think six months will really solve anything because you can’t put basic infrastructure in six months,” he said in an interview with ABS-CBN News Channel’s Market Edge.

He said the island lacks enough sewer lines and pipes that will connect the establishments and households’ to the island’s sewage treatment plant.