Heavily armed police guard Philippines holiday island Boracay ahead of Duterte’s shutdown
The president called the resort a ‘cesspool’ and banned all visitors for six months from Thursday
Police with assault rifles patrolled entry points to Boracay island on Tuesday just days before a six-month shutdown and clean-up of one of the Philippines’ top tourist attractions.
President Rodrigo Duterte had branded the renowned white-sand resort a “cesspool” fouled by dumped sewage and imposed the temporary ban on visitors that is due to take effect Thursday.
Authorities on Tuesday held a practice run of security measures, asking residents of the tiny island to present identification cards at the gateway port of Caticlan to be allowed entry.
In Boracay, police conducted exercises on the beaches, simulating clashes with protesters, terrorist attacks and a hostage incident even as they said there was no specific threat.
“In any plan we need maximum contingency. We will have an assessment if we need to add or reduce our forces but we now have enough forces,” local police official Jesus Cambay said.
