MANILA – The world-famous Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan is set to reopen for Western Visayas tourists starting June 16 .
This is according to Secretary Roy Cimatu of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources after the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) has approved the recommendation of the local government unit.
“The local government has a resolution before the BIATF, and they approved it effective June 16,” said Cimatu on a virtual press conference on Thursday afternoon.
He added: “The task force is looking into the gradual reopening of the island for tourists. All the MGCQ (modified general community quarantine) will apply with Boracay’s reopening.”
Tourism in the well-famed island was put to a halt in mid-March due to travel restrictions imposed to suppress the spread of coronavirus disease 2019.
Meanwhile, Secretary Eduardo Año of the Department of Interior and Local Government sees the initiative of Boracay to only allow local tourist as a “positive development.”
“We are seeing a positive development here in Aklan where we (can open now) tourism starting from local and then eventually to international tourism,” Año stressed.
Department of Tourism (DOT) secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, for her part, said that it was Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores who suggested that only tourists from this region will be allowed in Boracay Island.
“I am very excited na finally magbubukas na sa domestic tourism ang Boracay. Pero ang gusto muna ni Gov. Florencio Miraflores at Mayor Frolibar Bautista sa Western Visayas muna ibubukas,” she said.
According to her, hotels and restaurants in the world-famous island are already prepared for the reopening with ‘contactless’ initiatives, health declaration forms and physical distancing measures.
“Very impressed kaming tatlo (Romulo-Puyat, Año and Cimatu) kasi mayroon na silang QR Code. Pwede na online ‘yung health declaration form mo. (It’s) very organized. Kami naman sa DOT, hinihintay lang namin yung letter of intent. We are ready to give all hotels the certificate to operate,” she said.
Based on the Department of Health Western Visayas Center for Health Development, there are a total of 136 confirmed COVID-19 cases in this region as of June 11. Of this number, 96 have recovered while 11 died./PN
