The Office of Civil Defense (OCD) still has to conduct a needs assessment to determine the budget needed for the rehabilitation and recovery of Boracay Island after it was closed by the government for an environmental cleanup on April 26.

“The main participation of the OCD here is to undertake what we called the post disaster needs assessment to identify how much we really need on the recovery and rehab phase,” Dir. Edgar Posadas, Office of Civil Defense (OCD) spokesman told reporters in Quezon City yesterday.

He said there is an ongoing meeting for the implementation of the post disaster needs assesment (PDNA) for the rehabilitation and recovery of the island.

“We will see on how we will recommend the budget needed to implement the PDNA which shall be the basis for the comprehensive rehab and recovery plan also, we are closely working with NEDA and all the other concerned agency because they are the one who is in charge on the crafting of comprehensive recovery and rehabilitation plan for Boracay,” he said.

“We need to do the PDNA so we can jumpstart the recovery and rehabilitation projects,” he added.

Posadas said there are demolition and other projects are being done since the closure of Boracay but he noted it does not include major projects.

“There are portions that were demolished. I think I also saw in your reports the road widening, sewage, drainage, but other than that there is no major facility that was demolished,” he said.

Posadas did not give a specific time line when the actual recovery and rehabilitation phase will start but he expressed optimism the rehabilitation can be completed within the six-month closure of Boracay.

“The assessment, it can take in a span of two weeks. We can have PDNA, then … let’s say less than a month, but we still have to write the comprehensive rehab and recovery plan. That will take another month. After that we can then recommend priorities and it will be funded to jumpstart (recovery and rehabilitation),” he said.

It can be recalled that the six month closure of Boracay which began April 26 was ordered by President Rodrigo Duterte to give way for the island's rehabilitation. Robina Asido/DMS