Department of the Interior and Local Government Secretary Eduardo Año warned the Provincial Government of Aklan to stick to the implementation of the tourist capacity limit in Boracay following reports of overcrowding during the Holy Week.
"Hindi tayo magdadalawang-isip na mag-issue ng SCO sa mga opisyal ng LGU (local government unit) na magsasawalang-bahala sa mga umiiral na kautusan (capacity limit) sa isla ng Boracay (We will not have second thoughts of issuing SCO to negligent LGU that defy the laws in Boracay Island). We cannot go back to square one especially now that we are still in the middle of a pandemic. Our efforts to rehabilitate and reverse the ecological degradation of the island will all be futile if we become negligent in complying with the guidelines set by national government,” Año said on Thursday, April 21.
Año also urged the Provincial Government of Aklan and the municipality of Malay town, two LGUs which have direct authority over the world-famous tourist destination, to intensify efforts and strictly observe the island’s daily threshold of 19,215 for tourists.
The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF), composed of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) as chair, with DILG and Department of Tourism (DOT) as co-chairs, set 19,215 as the carrying capacity of the island for tourists to ensure the ecological sustainability of Boracay.
He added: "Failure to comply with the recommended daily threshold may cause environmental risks and may reverse the accomplishments of government in rehabilitating Boracay Island."
In a letter to Año, DOT Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Boracay Island tourist arrivals for Maundy Thursday (April 14) reached 21,252 and 22,519 on Good Friday (April 15), which are way above the island’s limit.
On April 16, 2022, Puyat appealed to Año and DENR Acting Secretary Jim O. Sampulna to instigate appropriate actions regarding the violations and urged for strict implementation of preventive measures against Covid-19 that is also a “valuable step in driving a sustainable growth of tourism in the island.”
The DILG chief, through a DILG memorandum disseminated to Aklan LGUs, said that subsequent violations on the recommended limitation of tourists in Boracay Island may merit the issuance of a SCO from the Department, regardless if the violation is deliberate or not.
He also disagreed with the statement of Malay Acting Mayor Frolibar Baustista calling the tourist arrivals as “normal”.
“Hindi ito normal, ito ay paglabag sa umiiral na polisiya. Noong 2018 pa lamang at wala pang pandemya, itinakda na natin kung ano ang kapasidad ng Boracay, kung gaano karami lamang ang puwedeng tanggapin na turista ng isla (This is not normal, it is a violation of the current policy. In 2018 when there was no pandemic yet we already imposed the capacity limit in Boracay, where the number of tourists allowed were set),’’ he noted.
In the said memorandum, Año also directed its DILG Regional Offices to closely monitor the compliance of LGUs and to report any violations of tourism-related implementations and COVID-19 policies and protocols.
Meanwhile, DILG Undersecretary Jonathan E. Malaya reminded the residents and tourists of Boracay and Aklan province that the area is under the Alert Level 1 status, which still entails observance of minimum public health standards (MPHS).
“Muli po naming ipinapaalala sa ating mga kababayan sa Aklan na panatilihin ang pagsunod sa health protocols na itinakda natin. Magsuot pa rin ng face mask at mag-disinfect lagi. Huwag po tayong maging pabaya (We are reminding our countrymen again in Aklan to maintain the adherence to the health protocols we set. Wear face masks and always disinfect. Let us not be complacent),’’ Malaya said.
Further, Malaya maintained that the government does not want to have another Covid-19 surge stressing the public to remain disciplined even with the relaxed restrictions since the pandemic is not yet over. (Chito A. Chavez)