MANILA - The planned closure of Boracay Island should take place during the lean season and displaced workers should be given alternative work, the National Economic and Development Authority said Tuesday.
The temporary shutdown of the island will affect only 0.1 percent of gross domestic product, the NEDA said.
"For this, the LGU will have to coordinate closely with the Department of Tourism for possible placement of these workers in the nearby establishments not affected by the closure," National Economic Development Authority officer in charge Rosemarie Edillon said.
"We're also hoping that the closure would happen during the lean season. So the adverse effect won't be that much," she added.
Tourism industry stakeholders in Boracay will meet on Tuesday to discuss contingency measures during the closure, she said.
The government moved to clean Boracay after President Rodrigo Duterte flagged pollution, which he said, had turned the island into a "cesspool."