Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 21)— The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Thursday issued a stern warning to Aklan officials to strictly enforce the daily visitor limit for Boracay — or receive a show cause order for negligence.
This comes amid the reported influx of tourists in the world-class beach destination during Holy Week.
“Hindi tayo magdadalawang-isip na mag-issue ng (show cause order) sa mga opisyal ng LGU (local government units) na magsasawalang-bahala sa mga umiiral na kautusan sa isla ng Boracay,” Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said in a statement.
[Translation: We will not hesitate to issue show cause order to officials of LGUs who will not follow the current rules of Boracay island.]
“We cannot go back to square one especially now that we are still in the middle of a pandemic,” he stressed. “Our efforts to rehabilitate and reverse the ecological degradation of the island will all be futile if we become negligent in complying with the guidelines set by national government.”
Citing a report from the Department of Tourism, Año said Boracay breached its daily tourist cap of 19,215 last week — logging 21,252 and 22,519 arrivals for Maundy Thursday and Good Friday, respectively.
The Interior chief has since ordered regional offices to closely monitor the compliance of LGUs and report any violations of COVID-19 protocols especially in tourist destinations.
Meanwhile, Tourism Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat said her agency will leave it to experts whether or not to raise the tourist cap for Boracay amid mounting calls to allow more visitors.
“It’s about studies if indeed it can be increased. We will rely on the experts,” Puyat said in an event on Wednesday.
