BORACAY Island partially reopened on Monday to receive some guests for its 10-day dry run conducted by the interagency Task Force Boracay.
Sixty-eight resorts with 3,519 rooms are participating in the dry-run. Only 19 tourists, mostly from Aklan, arrived on Monday.
In an interview with the BusinessMirror, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Fatima Romulo Puyat said the first day “went very well” despite the rains that pelted the island, with the coming of the amihan season.
https://www.facebook.com/bernaromulopuyat/videos/pcb.10157757295310410/10157757293740410/?type=3&theater
“The main beach is very clean and peaceful now,” she added, “and I spoke with some of the original stakeholders who said this was how Boracay was before.” She noted many of them “welcomed the stricter environmental guidelines,” but added that they appealed for the task force to lift the ban on tables and chairs by the beach for certain times of the day. “But [Environment] Secretary [Roy A.] Cimatu said the law is to enforce the 25+5 easement along the main beach, so the prohibition has to remain.”
Among the events on Monday were a salubungan of mainland Aklanons and Boracaynons at the main white beach, and unveiling of designs for the rehabilitation of Wetlands No. 4, to be undertaken by the Aboitiz Group, and Wetland No. 3, to be implemented by San Miguel Corp. Also, the Department of Public Works and Highways inaugurated the road that connects Bulabog Beach to the main road.
Ride-hailing app, Grab, unveiled a sample of its waiting sheds, and is offering rides on its e-vehicles for free until December, according to the DOT chief. DENR officials earlier said HirNa, a Davao-based ride-hailing app, will manage some 200 e-trikes that will ply the roads and alleys of Boracay.
Romulo Puyat assured the public that the pontoons now located along Stations 1 and 2 are “temporary,” just to welcome the tourists participating in the dry run. “But those will be removed by October 26, and arrivals and departures will once more resume at Cagban port,” she stressed, in response to comments from local stakeholders and netizens about boat fuel being discharged in the waters off the main white beach.Cebu Pacific Airways launched its sustainable tourism campaign, “Juan Effect,” on Monday at the White House resort, and turned over an initial 12 sets of three garbage bins to Romulo Puyat, Cimatu, Interior Officer-in-Charge Eduardo M. Año, DPWH Secretary Mark A. Villar, and Transportation Secretary Arthur P. Tugade. The garbage bins have been labeled Food Waste, Non-Recyclable Waste and Recyclables.
Charo Logarta-Lagamon, CEB director for communications, said the airline is still “working with the Department of Tourism and Department of Environment and Natural Resources to find out how many trash bins are exactly needed” on the 1,000-hectare island.
“The production of the trash bins integrate the use of waste plastic materials, such as laminated packaging of Chippy and other snack foods produced by our sister-firm URC [Universal Robina Corp.],” she added.
The trash bins will first be put along the main white beach, every 200 meters, DOT officials said.
Noncompliant resorts warned
Romulo Puyat, meanwhile, announced in a public advisory published on social media over the weekend, that “all Boracay Island accommodation establishments that are not yet compliant with DILG and DENR requirements and are not yet accredited with the [DOT] are hereby strongly advised to cease and desist from making room bookings or sale for occupancy starting Oct. 26, 2018 onward until such time that all requirements for opening their establishments are in order and complete.”
She added, “all online promotions and other related collaterals should be deleted or put on hold until complete compliance with government regulations shall have been accomplished. Those found violating the terms of this advisory shall be dealt with the full force of the law.”
The DOT issued the advisory after Romulo Puyat personally received complaints on her social media accounts about certain noncompliant Boracay hotels and resorts already demanding for partial payment or full payment for guests’ reservations.