BORACAY – A total of 200 energy-efficient electric tricycles, or e-trikes, were donated to the local government unit of Malay, Aklan as tourism operations in this famed island resort resume after a half-year hiatus.
The e-trikes – donated by the Department of Energy – will ply the routes in the island, which was officially reopened to domestic and foreign tourists on Oct. 26.
Eleven days before the reopening, the Energy department, Transportation department and the Malay LGU signed a memorandum of agreement for the e-trike donation.
The DOE made the donation “as we embark on a more sustainable tourism development for the island,” according to its secretary Alfonso Cusi.
He added that the e-trikes are the “way forward to reduce the vulnerability of the country on the volatility of international oil price movements and other economic impacts.”
“We have partnered with DOTr and the Malay LGU in order to improve the public transport system for the tourists and most especially for the Boracaynons as a form of livelihood,” Cusi stressed.
The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force will make sure the e-trike project serves its purpose.
One of the major beneficiaries of the project is the Boracay Ati Tribal Organization. A total of 10 e-trikes will be given to the tribe, intended for their livelihood.
The Department of the Interior and Local Government and the DOTr will assist the DOE in the shipment of the e-trike units to Malay, Aklan.
Boracay is back on business as a total of 157 accredited hotels and resorts start their operations.
This is based on the updated list that the Department of Tourism released Oct. 25. (With a report from DOE/PN)
