The Philippines will reopen its crown jewel resort island Boracay to holidaymakers on Friday, after a six-month clean up aimed at repairing the damage inflicted by years of unrestrained mass tourism, Agence-France Presse reports. In February, President Rodrigo Duterte gave his brutal assessment of the country’s top tourist draw as he told hotels, restaurants and other businesses on the tiny central island, calling it “a cesspool” before threatening to close it, which he later did in April. With the Philippines leading the charge for sustainable tourism in Southeast Asia, it is hoped that the region’s policy-makers will focus more on the yield rather than raw numbers, writes Karim Raslan for ABS-CBN. He adds that it is important to ensure that recreation does not lead to degradation of our region’s irreplaceable natural treasures.