Workers and residents of Boracay, through the National Union of Peoples’ Lawyers (NUPL), on Wednesday, April 25, filed a complaint before the Supreme Court (SC) which questioned the constitutionality of President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s six month closure of the island and asked the high court to issue a temporary restraining order (TRO) to halt it, according to a press release by the NUPL.
According to the 29-page Petition for Prohibition and Mandamus, “the 1987 Constitution does not grant the President the power to close Boracay island to tourists and non-residents” and that “President Duterte’s orders to close Boracay island, and the enforcement thereof, are in violation of the principle of separation of powers.
It added closing Boracay to tourists and non-residents would be “a violation of their right to travel” and “the right to due process of persons earning a living in Boracay island by depriving them of their livelihood and source of income.”
The NUPL requested media to not name the petitioners due to “security concerns.” — Dane Angelo M. Enerio

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