[av_one_full first min_height=” vertical_alignment=” space=” custom_margin=” margin=’0px’ padding=’0px’ border=” border_color=” radius=’0px’ background_color=” src=” background_position=’top left’ background_repeat=’no-repeat’ animation=”]
[av_heading heading=’ Entry to Boracay under scrutiny’ tag=’h3′ style=’blockquote modern-quote’ size=” subheading_active=’subheading_below’ subheading_size=’15’ padding=’10’ color=” custom_font=”]
BY BOY RYAN ZABAL
[/av_heading]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
Monday, May 15, 2017
[/av_textblock]
[av_textblock size=” font_color=” color=”]
KALIBO, Aklan – Provincial Board members in Aklan will review the ordinance providing for the “one entry, one exit” policy in Boracay.
Provincial Ordinance 2015-03 provides that everyone bound for Boracay must board a vessel at the Caticlan jetty port in mainland Malay town and disembark at the Cagban jetty port in the island resort.
But there are several points of entry in Boracay that expose the world-renowned island to security risks, Caticlan jetty port administrator Niven Maquirang said in a recent Sangguniang Panlalawigan session.
While routine inspection and port clearance are performed at the Caticlan jetty port, security is not as strict in other entry points, Maquirang stressed.
Six “welcome centers” in Caticlan owned by high-end resorts and hotels in Boracay have no X-ray machines and police officers checking incoming passengers, he said.
Construction materials and other cargo are being ferried to and from the island via the Barangay Manoc-manoc beach, while the Tambisaan-Tabon area is the designated entry/exit point for motorboats during the habagat (southwest monsoon) season.
Other possible entry points to Boracay are the nearby towns of Buruanga and Nabas, and Hambil Island and Romblon.
Outriggers also travel from coastal barangays in mainland Malay to Boracay and vice versa.
Authorities are unable to monitor all of these points of entry to the 1,032-hectare island resort that is always filled with moneyed tourists.
Already, Boracay is bugged by various crimes within.
The Boracay Tourist Assistance Center recorded 622 crimes from January to March. These include possession of dangerous drugs or firearms, credit card fraud, illegal recruitment, and violations of access devices and anti-fencing laws. (With Aklan Forum Journal/PN)
[/av_textblock]
[/av_one_full]
