2018 Boracay closure and redevelopment being rehabilitated. The Department of Interior and Local Government announced that journalists would need permission to cover the shutdown of Boracay. On April 14, 2018, the Department of Tourism of the Philippines issued guidelines that sought to limit media coverage of the Boracay shutdown. According to the media accreditation guidelines, television networks would be limited to 12 persons, while radio, print, and online organizations and wire services would be limited to five persons. Accredited organizations would be allowed on the island from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., restricted to designated areas, and required to be escorted. "Vetting and processing" of
Boracay Tourism reported that Boracay had been named the world's second best beach after Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands. Due to worsening environmental conditions in Boracay, President Rodrigo Duterte in February 2018 said he plans to close the resort island, which he described as a "cesspool", on April 26, 2018, instructing Environment and Natural Resources Secretary Roy Cimatu to resolve the issue. In a cabinet meeting, President Duterte approved the full closure of the island for six months, effective April 26. 2018 to rehabilitate and resolve the environmental issues surrounding Boracay. On May 30, 2018, President Duterte declared that