The Philippines' environment minister recommended closing the famous vacation island of Boracay for up to a year for cleanup. President Rodrigo Duterte last month called it a "cesspool." Boracay has famous white sand beaches that make it a travel magazine favorite. Development and more than 2 million yearly tourists have taxed the island. Duterte criticized "overzealous development" last month, citing problems of waste collection and sewage flowing into the sea. He gave environment chief Roy Cimatu six months to fix the issue. Cimatu said that the island needs better waste systems and that illegal developments need to be destroyed. Island business groups were critical of the recommendation.
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