Liquor ban takes effect in Boracay, rest of Aklan

 BORACAY Island, Malay, Aklan - Authorities on Wednesday began strictly implementing the liquor ban in Boracay and the rest of Aklan.

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This was after Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores on Tuesday issued an executive order detailing the health protocols to be followed immediately amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the province.

Under the EO, "selling, dispensing and transporting of liquor or alcoholic beverages or any alcoholic drink containing a specific percentage of alcohol by volume or weight which may be in the form of whisky, brandy, gin, rum cordial, liquor, cocktail, wine, champagne, vermouth, bass, tuba, saki, beer, ale stout and others are prohibited."

Authorities are also strictly checking if incoming tourists have the complete requirements.

Seven tourists were recently arrested for presenting fake negative RT-PCR test results.

Miraflores said a negative RT-PCR test result is still required before a tourist will be allowed to enter Boracay, even if such tourist has already been fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

Based on the tally of the Malay Tourism Office, from June 1 to 6, the number of tourists who arrived in Boracay is 2,905.

Of this number, 1,760 tourists came from the National Capital Region, 550 from Calabarzon, and 230 from Central Luzon.

SWAT teams are making the rounds in the whole island of Boracay to ensure the security of tourists and residents. 

Cayetano calls for multi-sector COVID-19 info drive

 Former Speaker Alan Peter Cayetano on Wednesday called on different sectors to work together to enlighten the public on the COVID-19 pandemic and its effects.

In an interview with Bombo Radyo Bacolod on April 14, Cayetano said people are inclined to listen to their loved ones and community leaders when it comes to information about the COVID-19.

“Extraordinary ang problema kaya dapat extraordinary din ang solusyon,” he said. “Kanino ba nakikinig ang tao? So, una, sa kanilang magulang. Pangalawa, sa kanilang teachers. Pangatlo, sa kanilang mga religious leaders, sa pari, ministro, imam, pastor. (At) sa media. So, dapat talaga multi-sector.”

(Extraordinary problems call for extraordinary solutions. Who do people really listen to? First, their parents. Second, their teachers. Third, their religious leaders, like their priests, ministers, imams, or pastors. And the media. It should be a multi-sector effort.) 

Cayetano urged the national government to work with different stakeholders in explaining COVID-19 to the public and the importance of observing minimum health protocols.

“Ang national government, dapat lapitan ‘di lang ang national government. Pero tulungan, na multi-sector yung approach natin, and patiently explain what kind of virus is this, paano nakakahawa, bakit importante na gawin natin ito.”

(The national government should not just approach its own agencies. We need teamwork and a multi-sectoral approach through which we can patiently explain what kind of virus this is, its mode of infection, and what protocols are important.)

The lawmaker, however, warned that these efforts will only prosper if they are supported by the distribution of financial aid.

“Kahit anong paliwanag mo, kung ang tao ay gutom, walang kinakain, walang trabaho, walang kinikita nagsara o magsasara ang negosyo niya, hahanap at hahanap ng paraan para kumita ‘yan,” he said.

(No matter how hard you explain, if people are hungry, jobless, penniless, or their businesses have just closed shop, they will always find a way to go out and earn money.)

On February 1, Cayetano and his allies filed the 10k Ayuda Bill which seeks to distribute P10,000 to every Filipino family and stimulate economic activity through increased household consumption.  

The former Speaker said providing financial aid to every Filipino family is crucial in transforming the public’s behavior amidst the ongoing pandemic.

“Kailangan talaga natin ng transformational change, yung nagbago talaga ang pagkilos natin lahat,” he said. “Magagawa natin ‘yan kung isasabay natin yung tulong sa ekonomiya o yung tulong sa kabuhayan doon sa direksyon sa medikal.”

(We need transformational change where there’s a change in how we all act. We achieve that if we provide economic or livelihood support alongside our direction in terms of medical strategy.) 

Hill collapse kills one, injures three

(video courtesy of Taburnok)

Authorities here reported that a construction worker died while three others were injured following a landslide caused by a hillside collapsing in in Barangay Caticlan, Malay, Aklan.

Initial reports from Police Lt. Colonel Don Dicksie de Dios, acting chief of the Malay Philippine National Police disclosed that the workers are at the side of the road constructing a canal system when the trimmed side of the hill collapsed.

De Dios identified the fatality as Modesto Appelido, a native of Bingawan Iloilo, while those injured were identified as Darius Castillo, 48; Jade Daryl Castillo, 22 at Nino Jay Castillo, 22.

“Based on our initial investigation, the side of the hill may have collapsed due to the recent series of rains. I told the police investigator in charge to double check if there were also signs of foul play or possibly neglect of protocols in the construction,” De Dios said.

Operatives from the Malay Disaster Risks Reduction Management Office, the Bureau of Fire Protection, Barangay Council and residents in the area helped retrieve the victim’s body in the landslide area.

The Caticlan road is considered a tourism highway as Caticlan is a major entry and exit points of Boracay Island, a premier tourism destination.

Tourists urged to get barangay passes while in Boracay

 

TOURISTS coming to Boracay Island, Malay, Aklan for vacation are required to have a barangay pass so they could be allowed to roam anywhere, a local executive said.

During a community address Friday night, April 2, 2021, Malay acting mayor Floribar Bautista said the barangay pass is meant for police enforcers to determine whether pass holders are residents or tourists.

Bautista on Thursday placed the whole Balabag village under enhanced community quarantine beginning April 1. Zones 5 and 6 of Balabag and Zones 1 to 7 of Barangay Manomanoc were placed under "surgical lockdown" due to rising Covid-19 cases.

Bautista said based on the report of the Municipal Health Office, as of Thursday, there were 139 Covid-19 cases recorded in Malay town, most of which came from this resort island.

Of the said number, 80 were active and all were residents of Boracay.

Dr. Athena Magdamit said the spike in Covid-19 cases here was attributed to a tourist from Quezon City, who visited Boracay in the last week of March. The undisclosed tourist, who turned out to be positive for the virus, reportedly attended a party at a resort.

"We are still conducting investigation to the resorts if it had followed health protocols during the party," Magdamit said.

Police Major Don Dicksie De Dios., chief of the Malay police, said they had deployed hundreds of personnel all over the island to ensure that health protocols were strictly being followed both by residents and tourists.

The personnel included force multipliers such as those coming from the Philippine Navy, barangay volunteers, among others.\

According to a report from the Malay Tourism Office, from March 1 to 28, Boracay had been visited by 17,193 tourists. Of the said number, 9,913 came from the National Capital Region (NCR), followed by Calabarzon with 3,801 and those coming from Western Visayas with 2,204.

The rest came from different regions of the country.

Although NCR along with some areas in Calabarzon had been placed on ECQ, Boracay remains open to tourists coming from other regions and is classified under the modified general community quarantine category. 

Central Boracay placed under ECQ

 

THE Balabag village, which is the central part of Boracay, has been placed under enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) beginning April 1, 2021.

The Zone 1 to 7 of adjacent Barangay Manocmanoc have also been placed under “surgical lockdown.”

Natividad Bernardino of the Boracay Island Rehabilitation Management Group said the decision of the local government of Malay has been supported and approved by the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF).

The BIATF has a separate authority with the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID), although members of the BIATF also lead the municipal IATF-EID.

Residents of areas under ECQ are allowed to go to the market to buy food and other essentials. But images of Boracay posted on social media indicate that the resort island is already a ghost town.

"It was Acting Malay Mayor Floribar Bautista who asked for it," Bernardino told SunStar in a text message.

Data from Malay Health Office showed that Malay town has recorded 135 cases of Covid-19. Many of the patients are from Boracay Island.

Of the 135 cases, 76 are also active.

Dr. Athena Magdamit said they believe that a new variant of Covid-19 may have entered Boracay because of the sudden surge of cases.

"We have already taken specimens and we will have sent this to the Department of Health in Manila for review," Magdamit said. 

DENR defers Boracay waste projects

 San Miguel Corporation (SMC) is eyeing more projects for this resort island based on documents the company presented during the Boracay Island inter-agency task force (BIATF) principals’ meeting here.

Among the projects in the pipeline are the 17-kilometer solid waste and sewage conveyance and the bulk water pipe conveyance systems.

The undertakings are lumped together under the Boracay Environmental Infrastructure Project, which aims to provide a sustainable environment program to address solid and liquid waste management issues.

However, Secretary Roy Cimatu of the Department of the Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) has ordered the deferment of projects to see if they will “contribute or compliment our rehabilitation programs in the island.”

The SMC projects have been approved by local environment committees.

Cimatu chairs the BIATF which was created to spearhead the rehabilitation of the resort island dubbed as one of the best in the world.

The government closed Boracay for six months in 2018 to allow it to recover from the despoliation caused by untrammeled tourism activities.

Prior to the closure, the water surrounding the island was found to have high levels of coliforms.

In 2019, SMC proposed to build a bridge linking Boracay to the main island of Aklan, but the project was opposed by several stakeholders since it was seen to bring in more tourists than the island can handle.

“The Boracay bridge project proposal is still there. We are still awaiting results of the study of its possible environmental impact,” Cimatu said.

Boracay tourists urged use of Aklan QR code

 The provincial government of Aklan on Wednesday announced that it is still urging tourists going to Boracay to use the Aklan QR Code amid the availability of another system known as the S-Pass.

The S-Pass is a travel management system that was recently approved for use by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

According to Aklan Governor Florencio Miraflores, tourists are already aware of the use of the QR Code and noted the convenience it brings to the province on maintaining the local management system.

The S-Pass, on the other hand, was developed by the Department of Science and Technology (DoST) for the use of the locally stranded individuals (LSI) and travelers as a contact tracing system during the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“Right now, we already perfected the Aklan QR Code and our validating teams are now quick in their response time for tourists wanting to go to Boracay,” Miraflores said.

A tourist going to Boracay must register at the QR code found at the website of www.aklan.gov.ph and after accomplishing the forms, tourists should email it to the province and wait for validation.

Upon validation, tourists must present the copy along with the negative swab test and hotel bookings at the Caticlan Jetty Port.

Meantime, Engr. Rowen Gelonga, regional director of the DoST in Western Visayas, said they have already started introducing the S-Pass system among the several local government units (LGU) in the region including the province of Aklan.

“Each local government will be given an account of the S-Pass. Their personnel will be trained on how to use this. This way, the LGU will be able to maximize the use of the S-Pass,” Gelonga said.