ILOILO CITY – As travel restrictions have been eased, the Philippine National Police (PNP) is still reminding tourists going to world-famous Boracay Island that there’s still a curfew.
“We are under the new normal and tourists have to abide by the curfew,” said Police Lieutenant Colonel Don Dicksie De Dios, chief of police in Malay town, Aklan province.
This was after the Malay PNP caught 43 tourists and locals violating the 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. curfew at the country’s most popular beach destination during an October 22-23 operation.
De Dios told Manila Bulletin in a phone interview that the majority of the 43 violators who were issued citation tickets were drunk or came from bars.
“We all know that our visitors want to party, but we must also balance health and security so there won’t be another Boracay lockdown,” De Dios added.
The PNP is also bracing for the surge of Boracay tourists after government officials finally scrapped the requirement of negative swab tests for COVID-19 while allowing fully vaccinated persons to enter the resort island.