A viral video of tourists burying a soiled diaper in the beach in the Philippines prompted local authorities to close the area for water quality tests. After determining that the water quality remained safe, the Boracay Interagency Task Force reopened the area later in the day.
"This is an unfortunate incident pero [but] we will not tolerate those who violate the law whether foreigner or local. [Everyone should follow the law],” Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat told CNN Philippines. She said that authorities will work on aggressively informing tourists about beach rules and regulations.
In April 2018, the world-famous Boracay island underwent a six-month closure and rehabilitation after President Rodrigo Duterte called the island a “cesspool.”