ILOILO CITY—The tourists, who were able to gain entry into the world-famous Boracay Island in Malay town, Aklan province by submitting fake tests results for coronavirus disease (COVID-19) were formally charged Monday, December 14.
“The charges against the six tourists were filed Monday afternoon,” confirmed Malay Police Chief Lt. Col. Jonathan Pablito.
In a Monday phone interview, Pablito told The Manila Bulletin that the six tourists were facing criminal raps for falsifying and tampering public documents while violating Republic Act No. 1332 or the Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act.
To recall, the national government implemented a policy requiring incoming tourists to Boracay to submit results showing they are negative for COVID-19. The resort island reopened to domestic tourists last October 1.
It was early last week when authorities found out that the six tourists were able to enter the country’s premier beach destination last December 5 with five of them showing fake test results, indicating they were negative for COVID-19.
It was learned that only one of the six had a legitimate COVID-19 tests, while the five others presented fake documents.
This prompted authorities to take the six tourists to a quarantine facility in Kalibo, the provincial capital of Aklan. They were again tested, and the results came back negative.
Meanwhile, Pablito warned other tourists not to pull the same stunt as authorities are keen on counterchecking the COVID-19 test results they submit upon entering the island.