By Jennifer P. Rendon and Joseph B.A. Marzan
The famous white sand beach of Boracay Island in Malay town is set to reopen on June 16.
And it appears that everybody is not welcome yet.
In a meeting by the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) on Thursday, it was agreed that only tourists from Western Visayas – Aklan, Iloilo, Iloilo City, Bacolod City, Negros Occidental, Antique, Capiz, and Guimaras – would be allowed to enter.
Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, the task force chairperson, was in attendance at Thursday’s meeting, along with Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año and Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.
Natividad Bernardino, Boracay Inter-Agency Rehabilitation Management Group general manager, said it was Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores’ proposal to have the reopening of Boracay on June 16 and the task force just adopted it.
“The task force is just very cautious, thus only allowing local tourists. Gradual muna. Then after that, kung maganda ang sitwasyon, they could start opening to local tourists from around the country,” she said.
Letting local tourists would also be a sort of dry run on how to go about with the new normal in Boracay Island.
From there, the task force will see what adjustments will be done.
All of the minimum health protocols should be in place based on guidelines as declared by the Department of Health like wearing face masks, sanitation, and 50 percent capacity in hotels and restaurants, among others.
“Sec. Año said that not even the new normal should be contemplated. Instead, it’s modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) with limited restrictions. That’s how I understand it,” Bernardino said.
Presently, only three hotels were accredited but many establishments have already submitted their letter of intent to be inspected and receive certificates.
The Department of Tourism (DOT) will be the one to issue the certificate of authority to operate.
Bernardino noted that the tourism sector has been reeling from the closure of Boracay Island.
It has already lost billions of pesos in tourism revenues way before its closure middle of March.
“Since January, wala na ring masyadong dumadating na turista,” she said.
If Boracay has an average annual tourism receipt of P52 billion, it could have been losing around P25 billion.
For now, Bernardino said they don’t know when will Boracay be opened for local tourists outside of the region.
“Siguro kapag na-sustain ng Boracay or Aklan na COVID free for a longer time. Since Habagat season ngayon, maybe mag pi-peak pa ang tourists around November or December,” he said.
Bernardino said that it would also depend on the reclassification of the area where the tourists would come from.
STRICT PROTOCOLS
Acting Mayor Frolibar Bautista of Malay, Aklan told Daily Guardian that the local government will implement strict protocols as it reopens to domestic tourists from the Western Visayas region on June 16.
Bautista said that strict procedures will be put in place at the Caticlan Jetty Port and Passenger Terminal before tourists can board and enter the island.
“We will be asking for their identification as proof of residence. We will also be asking them to fill out health declaration forms, and temperature checks will also be done upon entering the island,” Bautista said.
He also said that only accommodation establishments that have complied with the Department of Tourism’s guidelines under its Memorandum Circular 2020-002 will be allowed to operate.
As regards the protocols in the island, the rules under Executive Order No. 027 series of 2020 Bautista issued on May 31, will still be observed.
Under EO No. 027, swimming is allowed only to limited areas within Stations 1 to 3 and Brgy. Yapak, rental for equipment such as snorkels and goggles are not allowed, and a curfew will be imposed from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.
LOCAL MOBILITY, REGIONAL TOURISM
During a meeting among local chief executives of Western Visayas held in Iloilo City on Wednesday, Miraflores confirmed they’re preparing for Boracay Island’s soft opening.
But when asked for the timeline, he said it could be by July.
“We are now in the process of accreditation of compliant establishments based on the DOT guidelines,” Miraflores quoted to have said.
In the interim, “we’re preparing first and we’re doing the dry run for the Aklanons,” he said.
During the Iloilo City meeting entitled “Partnership for Region VI Recovery and Development,” former Negros Occidental congressman Alfredo Benitez discussed five key points where different provinces and cities of Western Visayas could collaborate.
One of which is the “free movement of people for labor mobility and domestic tourism.”
Under the proposal, intra-regional travel is allowed.
“All passengers disembarking at any pier of entry in Western Visayas must register in staysafe.ph app as part of surveillance and facilitate contact tracing,” Benitez suggested.
Miraflores said Benitez’s presentation is in synch with their plans, highlighting the importance of contract tracing as they boost the movement of the people.
He added that the staysafe.ph app is a big boost to the tourism industry.
Based on the latest Department of Health Western Visayas-Center for Health Development data, there are a total of 136 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the region. Of this number, 96 have recovered, while 11 died.
Of the 136 cases, 56 are either OFW repatriated or locally stranded individuals (LSIs).
Aklan has six confirmed cases of COVID-19 but all have already recovered.
