BORACAY—The Boracay Interagency Rehabilitation Management Group (BIARMG) on Saturday said the presence of green algae along the island coast was a natural phenomenon and was not a sign of lower water quality levels.

In a statement, the BIARMG said the algae proliferate normally during the dry season.

"This is non-toxic and should not be a cause for concern. In fact, the volume of algae has naturally subsided significantly in the past 2 weeks," the BIARMG said.

It added that the fecal coliform levels in the island's front beach was between 8 to 11 mpn (most probable number) per 100 milliliters between January and February 2022. BIARMG said this met the water quality standards for swimming, which is at 100 mpn per 100 ml.

Photo courtesy of Jhay-are Nabua Padilla

Boracay as it reopens to tourists amid the COVID-19 pandemic in this photo taken on October 1, 2020. Stanley Buenafe Gajete/file

"The tourists are assured that Boracay's waters are clean and safe for swimming and BIARMG is steadfast in its mandate to provide accurate information to the public," said BIARMG general manager Martin Jose V. Despi.

The Boracay city environment and natural resources office) said the algae was expected to last until April or May. — Report by Rolen Escaniel

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