By Paulo Loreto Lim

During a recent Aklan Provincial Board session, it was revealed there are currently around 2,000 illegal aliens working at resort destination Boracay, primarily from South Korea and China.

According to Board Member Nemensio Neron, most either own or work at the locale’s resorts and restaurants.

A hearing and investigation have since been pushed to further probe the matter.

Last year, the Bureau of Immigration (BI) reported 1,508 illegal aliens were deported in 2017, over three times the 400 removed from the country in 2016.

The agency said many were found to have overstayed their visa or were working without a permit.

China topped the list with 1,248, followed by 115 from South Korea and 33 from India.

The resort island has recently been under scrutiny after President Rodrigo Duterte earlier referred to Boracay as a “cesspool” and ordered the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to get a handle of the pollution issue within six months or risk being shut down./PLL, WDJ