Boracay gets new wastewater treatment plant

Another wastewater treatment facility has been put up in this island resort.

The Manoc-manoc Sewage Treatment Plant can accommodate 5 million liters of used water daily, the Boracay Island Water Company (BIWC) said.

It will complement the Balabag Sewage Treatment Plant, which takes in 6.5 million liters of used water daily.

The P570-million new plant is “dedicated to treating mixtures of domestic raw sewage and/or septic tank effluent from connected households and establishments in Barangay Manoc-manoc,” Fernando Zobel de Ayala, chairman of the board of the Manila Water Company, said at the launch on Monday.

The BIWC was created in 2009 through a partnership between Manila Water and the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA).

With an activated sludge system, the Manoc-manoc plant ensures that the treated wastewater is safe for marine life and suitable for recreational activities before it is discharged into the sea, said the BIWC.

The BIWC said the new facility’s output complies with the Class SB effluent standard of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Ayala said the Manoc-manoc plant is expected to increase the BIWC’s used water service coverage to 61 percent.

Its capacity will be further expanded to accommodate 3.5 million liters more by 2017, raising the BIWC’s used water service coverage to 75 percent, according to information released to the press.

Also present at the launch were Aklan governor Florencio Miraflores, Department of Tourism regional director Helen Catalbas, TIEZA’s Guiller Asido, and BIWC chief operating officer and general manager Joseph Michael Santos./

Boracay remains a strong tourism destination

This resort island continues to be a strong tourism destination despite the recent presidential declaration of a state of lawlessness.

Niven Maquirang, jetty port administrator, said that from January to September this year, Boracay registered a rousing 1, 310, 670 foreign and local tourism arrivals. The said statistics is notably higher compared to the same period of 2015 with only 1, 199, 742 tourists.

President Rodrigo R. Duterte has declared the country under a state of lawless violence to prevent possible terrorist attacks in different tourism areas in the country. Because of the declaration, the Armed Forces of the Philippines and the Philippine National Police are on maximum alert level.

"We implemented tight security measures in Boracay and the tourists understood it. It is a welcome note that our tourism figures still continue to increase," said Maquirang.

Of the statistics, foreign tourists registered 662, 829 arrivals while domestic tourists registered 614, 338.

"If these increasing trend continues, we are anticipating our tourism arrivals may reach 1.7 million this year," said Maquirang.

Boracay legislator calls on Muslim women to show faces in beach, hotels

 A lady councilor of Malay, Aklan has sought the support of the Muslim community here as she asked their women to show their faces while at the beach or in hotels.

Councilor Nette Graf said this is in connection with the terrorist attacks that have occurred in the southern Philippines and in other tourist destinations in the world.

At least 15 people died and scores were injured when a bomb ripped through a night market in Davao City last September 2. Explosions were also reported in New York and New Jersey in the US over the weekend.

The suspect in the Davao explosion reportedly wore a mask.

"This aims to ensure the safety of everyone in Boracay. I also plan to talk to Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling to issue an executive order similar to that of Davao," Graf said.

Muslim women in the country by tradition cover their faces.

"If one is wearing a mask, be it a face mask or a hijab or a burqa, it is difficult to determine whether one is a male or a female," she said.

Since last year, the Boracay Tourists Police and members of the Armed Forces of the Philippines have been monitoring the beaches by conducting foot patrols and through closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras.

Swede held in Boracay

A Swede and his Filipino companion were arrested for allegedly selling illegal drugs to tourists in the resort island of Boracay in Aklan.

Authorities identified the suspects as 31-year-old Daniel Wilhelm Guntli of Sweden and 36-year-old Rey Buendia of Butuan City.

They were arrested by a team from the Boracay Special Tourists Police Office.

Recovered from Guntil and Buendia were five sachets of suspected shabu and drug paraphernalia.

Native food eyed as new tourism attraction in Aklan

 Native food are being eyed as the newest tourism attraction in the province of Aklan, including world famous Boracay island.

Roselle Ruiz, provincial tourism information officer, said they have been preparing for the food tourism as the province joins the United Nations Tourism Day and the National Tourism Week celebration this September.

"Among the foods we are eyeing to promote is the traditional 'Inubarang Manok' (Coconut Simmering Chicken). We are also looking at the possibilities of each town having its own unique food such as the Ampaw (Pop Rice) of Lezo," Ruiz said.

On Sept. 21, the tourism office will also showcase a cooking contest among the culinary students in the province.

"Highlight of the cooking contest is the use of taro as the main ingredient. Whoever wins in the said contest will be featured in several restaurants including Boracay," Ruiz said.

The Philippines has been considered as the new gastronomic destination in the world by the CNN. It described the Philippine food as colorful and historical.

In a related report, Ruiz also bared that the province is coordinating with the National Commission on Culture and the Arts for cultural mapping in the province.

Boracay gateway gets more CCTVs

An additional 30 high-resolution CCTV cameras have been installed at the Caticlan Jetty Port, the gateway to world-famous Boracay Island in Malay town, Aklan.

Niven Maquirang, jetty port administrator, said the additional CCTV cameras aims to ensure more extensive security for foreign and local tourists coming to and from Boracay.

“This is also to monitor possible crime incidents,” said Maquirang.

“In case of criminal incidents, we are willing to provide a copy of the CCTV footage to the police,” Maquirang said.

The installation of the CCTV cameras came in light of President Rodrigo Duterte’s declaration of the state of national emergency on account of lawless violence after the Davao City bombing on Sept. 2.

Personnel from the Philippine National Police, the Philippine Army and the Philippine Coast Guard were deployed to secure the jetty port and the Caticlan airport (Godofredo P. Ramos Airport).

Tourists, airplane passengers advised to go early to airports due to strict security measures

Tourists and airplane passengers in the Western Visayas region have been advised to go to airports early in anticipation of stringent security measures.

Regional head of the Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, Efren Nagrama, said all airports in Western Visayas are on red alert.

Airports in Western Visayas include the Iloilo International Airport, Bacolod Airport, Kalibo International Airport, Roxas City Airport and the Godofredo Ramos Airport in Barangay Caticlan, Malay, Aklan.

"Everybody coming to the airports could feel the enhanced security we are implementing," Nagrama said.

Malacañang has declared a "state of national emergency on account of lawless violence" following Friday's bomb blast at the night market in Davao City that killed 14 people and wounded 70 others, and the military's relentless efforts to crush the Abu Sayyaf Group.