BORACAY – Informal workers are feeling the pinch of this island resort’s temporary shutdown for a much needed rehabilitation.
Their common complaint is the dramatic drop in their daily income.
According to the International Labor Organization, informal economy workers as those “independent, self-employed, small-scale producers and distributors of goods and services.”
In this island, they include tricycle and trisikad drivers, masseurs, vendors of souvenir items and native delicacies, among others.
“Noong bago nag-announce si President (Rodrigo Duterte about the closure) ang kita ko sa pagpapadyak aabot ng P1,500 isang araw pero ngayon nasa P500 na lang,” says 18-year-old trisikad driver Jaylord Casidsid.
A resident of Nabas, Aklan, Casidsid has been working in the island for three years now.
“Hindi ako agree sa closure. Kawawa naman ang mga tao dito. Walang pagkakakitaang pera, wala ng trabaho,” says Casidsid.
A father of a one-year-old baby, Casidsid says he may return to Nabas while the island is closed. He has to find another job to support his wife and baby, he says, but may return to Boracay once it is reopened to tourism activities.
Souvenir items vendor Paula Arumpac, 24, also complains of a drop in her daily income but unlike Casidsid is supportive of Boracay’s temporary closure.
“Agree ako sa closure pero mahirap. Sana pagbukas ulit ng Boracay magiging mas maganda s’ya compared sa ngayon,” says Arumpac.
Arumpac has been selling all sorts of souvenir items to tourists these past 18 years. She says she earns P5,000 each day during the “peak season” or summer when tourists come in droves.
But since President Duterte announced Boracay’s closure, her daily income plummeted dramatically.
“Ngayon wala na, P500 na lang to P1,000,” says Arumpac.
But she has decided to stay in Boracay instead of leaving the island to each a living elsewhere.
“Dito lang ako kahit closed for six months. Pag umuwi ako sa Mindanao wala rin eh, at nandito rin ang mga kapatid ko,” says Arumpac.
A resident of the island remains hopeful of a better future once Boracay reopens.
“At least mabago ‘yung Boracay, lalo na ‘yung sewerage system. Sa ngayon konting ulan lang baha na,” says Sheryl Espinosa, a 31-year-old resident of Barangay Balabag.
She looks forward to, among others, better traffic flow on the island.
“Malala na rin ang traffic, mas maganda pang maglakad kaysa mag-tricycle,” says Espinosa.
Meanwhile, an executive from the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) in Region 6 says the agency’s “Action Plan Save Boracay” is a huge help to displaced workers in the island resort.
The social media has lately been deluged with posts depicting the situation of people who lost their sources of income because of the island’s closure.
TESDA Aklan director Joel Villagracia said their program is beneficial to residents of Aklan. Under “Action Plan Save Boracay”, TESDA prioritizes displaced workers by providing training opportunities to help them find alternative jobs or upgrade their skills.
Villagracia sys TESDA in Region 6 targets to provide 5,500 slots for training scholarships within the six-month closure of Boracay.
Starting April 26 to June, TESDA is opening 1,500 training slots, 2,000 more slots in July, and another 2,000 in August. (IPC/PN)
