DOT Secretary Berna Romulo-Puyat. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / LEO M .SABANGAN II
Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat has warned tourists against transacting with unaccredited hotels, which could leave some visitors without proper accommodation.
“Maraming wala sa listahan na nag-aaccept ng reservation, mali ‘yon, at nag-aaccept ng pera. Wala po sila sa listahan, ang mangyayari ‘pag punta nila sa Boracay, wala silang titirhan,” Puyat told Radyo Inquirer in an interview.
(A lot of them who aren’t on the list were still accepting reservations, that’s wrong, and they’re accepting payments. They’re not on the list, so what will happen is when they arrive in Boracay, they won’t have a place to stay.)
Puyat, who is currently in Boracay for the resort island’s dry-run, said that only 68 of the 455 establishments were allowed to operate once Boracay re-opens.
“Meron lang tayong 68 establishments for a total of 3,519 rooms na naka-comply (We have 68 establishments for a total of 3,519 rooms who have complied with) sa Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR), sa Department of Interior and Local Government, at sa DOT,” she added.
“Kaya namin sila pinayagang bumukas dahil 100 percent compliant sila lalo na sa environment. Ayaw na naming bumalik na ‘yong naka-kuha ng ECC (Environmental Compliance Certificate) tapos wala pala, fake pala,” she explained.
(We allowed to them to open because they’re 100 percent compliant with rules on the environment. We don’t want to have a repeat of others who have an ECC but turns out these were fake.)
READ: Duterte approves 6-month closure of Boracay, starting April 26
Boracay island, which President Rodrigo Duterte had called a “cesspool,” was ordered closed on April 2018. After the move displaced thousands of workers on the island, critics slammed the administration for its inability to produce a concrete plan.
READ: Lawmakers question lack of overall plan for Boracay rehab
According to Puyat, the beach waters in Boracay are already clean days before its soft opening.
“Kanina lang, nagwe-wade ako sa water, makikita mo ‘yong paa ko, pero underwater. Gano’n ka-linis na ‘yong tubig na ‘yon,” she said.
(Awhile ago, I was wading in the water, I could see my feet underwater. That’s how clean the water is now.)
The secretary also said that residents are happy with the rehabilitation, saying that it is similar to Boracay before it was urbanized.
“Kausap ko ‘yong mga lumaki dito sa Boracay, alam mo sinabi nila sa akin, ‘Ito ‘yong Boracay na nakagisnan namin,’” Puyat said.
(I was speaking with those who grew up here in Boracay, and they told me that this was the Boracay they grew up in.)
“Di ba ‘pag pupunta ka ng Boracay, maraming magsasabi sa’yong kontrabida na ‘Hay nako, you should have seen it no’ng dati pa, walang electricity’; ngayon ‘yong mga pupunta dito, ‘yon ang makikita nila ‘yon,” she added.
(When you would go to Boracay before, many naysayers would tell you that “Oh you should have seen Boracay before when there was no electricity”; now, when people come here, that’s what they’ll see.) /je