BORACAY – Boracay Island remains a safe destination for incoming tourists despite two vacationers being found dead in their hotel room in Barangay Balabag.
Malay police chief Lt. Col. Don Dicksie De Dios has assured the popular holiday island is still safe for tourists even if there were recent tourist deaths.
On March 21, an Australian national and her Filipino companion failed to check out on Monday morning.
The hotel staff went to their room to check on them and found the victims on the floor in their room. The victims have been staying in the hotel since March 13 and are supposed to check out on March 21.
De Dios said their bodies have been taken to a mainland Malay funeral parlor. The cause of death is unknown.
“The investigations are ongoing to find the cause of their death. Hotel staff saw the corpse lying in their room. The hotel management reported this to police, ”the police official added in a radio interview.
De Dios said they are closely working with the families of the victims for the conduct of medico-legal examinations.
Police said everything looks intact in the room including the laptop, mobile phones, jewelry, and belongings of the victims.
“We saw on CCTV that the two of them were fine on March 19,” De Dios said.
The island has been struggling to recover due to the coronavirus pandemic. The travel restrictions were eased allowing tourists to stay in Boracay Island without quarantine.
More than 50,000 tourists had visited the island in March this year, according to Malay Municipal Tourism Office.
Business and tourism stakeholders remain confident in the island’s public safety efforts.
“Our police are working double-time to maintain the security of the island because tourists are plentiful. Please follow the minimum health protocols, especially when wearing face masks, ”De Dios stressed./PN
