Drug peddlers not locals, Boracay police chief says

 The police chief in this island said most of the drug suspects they arrested were not locals.

Senior Inspector Jose Mark Anthony Gesulga, Boracay Tourist Assistance Center chief, said this was based on the drug operations over the last two months.

Last week, police caught a boatman from Caloocan City and on Sept. 3, a tour guide from Makati City. Both were detained at the island’s lockup facility.

“They carry illegal drugs in their baggage, pockets and even in their underwear,” said Gesulga. “The drugs were from Metro Manila, Batangas and Mindoro.”

Drugs can easily get in the island due to the lack of monitoring facilities, Gesulga said.

“All of them had passed through the jetty port,” the police chief explained. “The X-ray machines at the port can only monitor bombs, bladed weapons and guns.”

Though the entry of illegal drugs in the island was hard to detect, Gesulga said they have been coordinating with the locals to catch suspects through buy-bust operations./

Aklan police wary of travel-insurance fraud perpetrated by foreign tourists

The Aklan Provincial Police Office is wary of the travel-insurance claims fraud as it closely scrutinizes requests for police reports, especially those coming from foreign tourists.

Police Senior Inspector Jose Mark Anthony Gesulga, chief of the Boracay Philippine National Police (PNP), said they have been alarmed because of the increasing number of foreign tourists filing and requesting for a police report.

The police expect more of these incidents piling up since Christmas is nearing and there will be long holidays for tourists. The travel-insurance claims fraud is reportedly common among Chinese and South Korean tourists.

“What we are doing right now is that when a foreign tourist files a police complaint, the complainant should first convince our police investigator that he has been a victim of robbery and snatching. If not, like his phone may have been lost, we still issue a police report but we indicate that it’s not for insurance purposes,” he said.

Gesulga, however, did not reveal how many foreign tourists have been suspected being involved in travel- insurance fraud.

Senior Police Officer 1 Nida Gregas, information officer of the Aklan Provincial Police Office, said that, from January to March this year, the Boracay police has already recorded 311 theft cases. But many of them are believed to be cases of travel-insurance fraud.

Police Senior Inspector Honey Mae Ruiz, acting chief of the Kalibo PNP, said as part of the security preparations this Christmas season they are maximizing the use of closed-circuit television (CCTVs) among commercial and residential centers here.

Currently, the local government of Kalibo is enacting a CCTV ordinance, which mandates large business establishments to install CCTVs. For small and medium businesses, the installation of CCTVs is optional.

“The use of CCTVs has helped us much in solving crimes this year. We have identified and arrested several suspects, especially those involved in robbery cases, because of the CCTV footages,” she said.

Tracker teams to find ‘robber’ in Boracay

The Boracay Tourist Assistance Center under the Philippine National Police formed two tracker teams to locate a robbery suspect who barged in a Dutch national’s house in Sitio Hagdan, Barangay Yapak.

The 63-year-old Ingrid Yolande Van Breemen reported to the Boracay police station with a closed circuit television (CCTV) footage of the actual robbery.

From what the police gathered so far, the house caretaker found Breemen’s bag outside.

“It was already empty,” the caretaker said.

The robber took P6,000 cash, $50 cash and a cellphone, a police report showed.

“The photo of the suspect – identified in the CCTV – was distributed to the intelligence community in Boracay,” said Senior Police Oficer 1 Nilda Gregas. “We believe the culprit is still here.”

New Boracay Travel Guide targets China, South Korea

The Boracay Foundation Inc. (BFI) is currently finalizing the third version of the Boracay Travel Guide for 2017.

Raffy Cooper, marketing officer of the BFI, said the travel guide is the contribution of the Boracay business community to the flourishing tourism industry of this resort island.

The first version in 2015 was widely circulated in an international travel mart in Europe. The second version in 2016, on the other hand, was circulated in Australia.

“For the third version, we are planning to circulate this, especially in China and in South Korea,” he said.

Both the China and South Korea markets are the top 2 sources of foreign tourists who visited Boracay since the 1990s.

“In our previous promotional ventures in Australia and Europe, we learned that many potential tourists in there are not yet aware of Boracay Island. There are still huge potentials for Boracay in terms of foreign tourist arrivals. We wanted to lure more tourists through our travel guide book,” Cooper said.

In 2016 around 1.7 million tourists visited Boracay. Almost half of them are foreign visitors.

“We also wanted to target in our future promotional ventures the United States. It is still being untapped in terms of promotional efforts for Boracay. Our problem for now is that America seems not keen on holding international conferences on tourism,” he added.

Meanwhile, the Department of Tourism-Boracay is eyeing strict accreditation of tourism-related establishments both in Kalibo town and in this resort island.

Kristoffer Leo Vellete, acting officer of the DOT-Boracay, said he is currently in talks with the councilors of both Malay and Kalibo towns to enact their respective ordinance.

“We are telling local legislators of Kalibo and Malay that our model for this ordinance was that of Bohol. We all know that Bohol has been targeted by terrorism. However, their tourism industry immediately bounced back because tourists know that Bohol follows national standards in tourism,” he said.

However, he clarified that the implementation of the tourism accreditation law once enacted would still give leeway to tourism-related establishments.

“Upon enactment of the municipal ordinance, the business establishments would be given one year to avail themselves of accreditation. If they still fail to do so, the local government has the power not to renew their licenses unless they comply,” he said.

He added that the tourism lure of Boracay could be enhanced once the stakeholders are all accredited by the DOT.

Legarda Wants Boracay to be Model for Eco Solid Waste Mgmt, Renews Call for Stronger Law Implementation

Senator Loren Legarda today urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to make Boracay Island in Aklan province a model for ecological solid waste management (ESWM) and renewed her call for stronger implementation of Republic Act 9003.

Legarda, Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, made the statement during the hearing for the proposed 2018 budget of the DENR after confirming with the Environmental Management Bureau (EMB) that 12 commercial establishments in Boracay Island illegally used the storm drain canals to discharge wastewater.

The Senator urged the DENR to exercise utmost vigilance especially in monitoring compliance to or violation of environmental laws such as the Ecological Solid Waste Management Act (RA 9003) and the Clean Water Act (RA 9275), even as the EMB has already plugged the pipes from the establishments leading to the storm drain canals and has issued notices of violation.

“Let us make Boracay a model green island that exercises the elements of a blue economy, respecting and protecting the water around it. Let us do the same in Puerto Galera, Pasig River, Laguna de Bay, Manila Bay, and in other areas that are tourist havens and heavily populated,” said Legarda.

She also renewed her call to ensure full compliance to RA 9003 by all local government units (LGUs) including all barangays in the country.

According to the DENR, there are still 420 LGUs with open dumpsites, which are prohibited under the ESWM Law.

“I urge the DENR to strengthen implementation of the ESWM Law and ensure that all barangays in the country are compliant. I know it is a herculean task, but if one barangay can do it, there is no reason for the 42,000 other barangays not to do it,” said Legarda.

The Senator cited several barangays and LGUs that have been successful in implementing the law, such as, Barangay Potrero in Malabon; Barangay Neogan in Tagaytay; Barangay Sicat in Alfonso, Cavite; Las Piñas City; Barangay Holy Spirit in Quezon City; Barangay Fort in Taguig City; and San Fernando City in Pampanga.

Legarda also cited a report from the Commission on Audit (COA) that the Makati City government saved P108.72 million in its 2016 environment/sanitary services expenses, or 24.35% lower than its 2015 expenses for the same category, due to intensive pro-environment programs, particularly the enforcement of the ESWM Law.

Moreover, Legarda said that the DENR, particularly the National Solid Waste Management Commission (NSWMC), should spend its budget for the implementation of ESWM Law worth P500 million in 2016 and P800 million in 2017, which will both expire by the end of the year. The budget can be used for capacity building programs and for the purchase of composters and shredders.

“We need to speed up the procurement process and the implementation of budget allocations in accordance with our laws. But I would also like to stress that, with or without the machines, all LGUs should be able to implement the law. The materials recovery facility (MRF) in communities need not be expensive. These should be made only from recycled and indigenous materials,” she explained.

“I do not have machines but I practice waste segregation in my office and in my home, and I do my own compost from food waste. I want to prove to people that even if they are not granted a machine, they can implement the law and live in a clean and healthy environment if every household is involved,” said Legarda.

Boracay to ban ‘visual pollution’

There is a move to ban “visual pollution” in Boracay.

“The town council has been deliberating this as we are receiving complaints from tourists,” said Jimmy Maming, executive assistant to Malay Mayor Ciceron Cawaling. The island of Boracay is part of Malay.

Tourists are being turned off by unregulated outdoor clotheslines that can be seen along Boracay’s main roads and the beachfronts.

Tourists are also annoyed by unregulated outdoor advertisements and even advocacy tarpaulins.

Aside from Boracay, the town council also eyes to implement the ban in mainland Malay.

PCCI-Aklan urges govt to bolster policies to lure investors in food, trade terminals

The Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) in Aklan is urging both Sen. Bam A. Aquino and the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) to strengthen policy measures to lure investors in engaging in both food and trade terminals.

Guidon de la Cruz, secretary of PCCI-Aklan, said he met with Aquino recently in Metro Manila to discuss the need of food terminals, especially in the province of Aklan.

“Both our food and trade supply in Boracay came from the different provinces in the country. Our local farmers could not cope with the demand since the tourism industry in Boracay requires huge volumes. Food terminals are needed so that the production of farmers could be gathered and cope with the increasing demand in Boracay,” he said.

He recommended to Aquino that the policy on food terminals could be integrated with the Go Negosyo centers of the DTI. Aquino is considered the father of GoNegosyo centers in the country.

Earlier, Aklan Gov. Florencio Miraflores said the province is bent on looking for possible investors for the operation of both food and trade terminals in the province.

Maricar Ituralde, chief of DTI-Aklan, said that, aside from the food, trade inputs being produced by local small and medium entrepreneurs  in the province also need to have a terminal.

“We are also currently promoting among the resorts in Boracay the use of the green products among the stakeholders in Boracay. There is a lot of potential, but we could not cope with the demand due to the absence of a terminal for trade and food,” she said.