Despite Boracay reopening, many workers have not returned

ILOILO CITY — More than four months after Boracay Island reopened to tourists, many workers displaced by the closure have not been able to return to work.

Most of those who left the island to seek work elsewhere have not returned even if many hotels and resorts have already reopened.

The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) reported that 320 accommodation establishments with a total of 11,662 rooms had been accredited and allowed to operate as of Feb. 27.

Tourists were barred from the resort island for six months from April 26 to Oct. 25, 2018, while it was undergoing rehabilitation from environmental problems.

During the closure, almost all businesses stopped operating, forcing most of their employees to leave the island.

Those employed in the informal sector also lost their income.

“We try to survive, but our income is really down,” said Maureen Tapican, who sold seafood before the closure but now sells directly to the market and resorts as vending is not allowed along the beach.

Only a few vendors have been given a temporary area to sell their goods, she said.

Food, service workers

An estimated 30,000 workers were affected by the closure, which also severely hit Aklan province and neighboring areas that supply food and services to the island’s tourism industry.

Tapican said the assistance given by government agencies was not enough.

“The government should continue to help us because we are the worst affected, not the business owners,” she told the Inquirer.

The Department of Labor and Employment in Western Visayas said in a statement that its assistance to workers affected by the closure had reached P507 million as of Jan. 31. The amount included cash-for-work and livelihood programs.

About 5,005 beneficiaries of the Tulong Panghanapbuhay Para sa Ating Displaced/Disadvantaged Workers (Tupad) program received a total of almost P51 million.

Each beneficiary received the regional minimum wage of P323.50 per day for 30 days or P9,705 in six months.

Displaced, suspended and retained regular workers also received financial assistance equivalent to 50 percent of the prevailing minimum wage in Western Visayas, or P4,205.50 per month.

Regional labor director Cyril Ticao reported that as of Jan. 31, his office had received 28,304 applications for the Boracay Emergency Employment Program.

A total of 19,279 applicants were paid, he said.

At a meeting of the BIATF, Assistant Social Welfare Secretary Rhea Peñaflor reported that the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) had provided individual livelihood assistance to 10,956 families last year.

This year, the DSWD has allotted P9 million in assistance to associations that will implement sustainable livelihood programs, according to Peñaflor.