2018 Boracay closure and redevelopment for media coverage. On April 4, 2018, the Philippine government announced that Boracay would be closed for up to six months starting on April 26. Checkpoints manned by police officers and soldiers would be set up at piers in Boracay to turn away visitors from the island. Passes would be given to local residents. On the day of the closure, President Rodrigo Duterte declared a state of calamity over the three barangays of Boracay. The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) has distributed relief goods to residents of Boracay while the island is closed to tourists. In June 2018,
2018 Boracay closure and redevelopment over Boracay. The officials were alleged to have been lax in issuing building permits and to have failed to sufficiently tackle illegal development activities on the island. About 400 hotels and restaurants were ordered to close for violating local environmental laws, while 3 casinos have been permanently shut down. Establishments built within the 30-meter shoreline easement were also demolished. The government projected that there will be about loss of potential gross receipts as a result of the six months closure of Boracay. Tourist stakeholders in the island project a loss of as they estimate that 700,000 bookings by foreign tourists