No mass expulsion of Boracay tourists after cleanup starts

There will be no mass roundup and expulsion of tourists from Boracay on April 26, the start of the six-month closure ordered by the government to rehabilitate the world-famous resort island, according to the Department of Tourism (DOT).

Tourism Secretary Wanda Tulfo-Teo said tourists already on the island before April 26 and booked in hotels and resorts for a few more days beyond the end of the month would be allowed to stay.

“They may still stay to the end of their booking. Afterwards, no more new tourists will be admitted,” Teo said in an interview over an online program of the Presidential Communications Operations Office over the weekend.

However, bookings after April 26, such as weddings, should be moved to another date or to another place,
Teo said.

New IDs

In a television interview on Tuesday, Teo said new identification cards would be issued to residents and workers to make sure no tourist would be able to sneak into the island during the rehabilitation period.

Teo said residents would not be banned from swimming on the beaches during the cleanup.

“As long as you are a resident, there’s no problem,” she said.

Teo said some hotels and resorts would not be completely shut down but would be operating on a small scale, with some undertaking their own upgrading, renovations and repairs.

Current workers will also be prioritized for emergency employment in the cleanup, she said.

Teo appealed to businessmen and residents to sacrifice, saying that if everyone cooperated, Boracay might be reopened sooner. —Jerome Aning