Starting April 25, all those going to Boracay Island will be screened before they will be allowed to purchase boat tickets. Only residents, workers and visitors in emergency situations will be allowed on the island (Photo by Nestor P. Burgos Jr./INQUIRER VISAYAS)
BORACAY ISLAND, AKLAN — Security measures have been put in place to ensure an orderly and peaceful closure of Boracay Island on April 26.
Starting midnight of April 26, Boracay-bound residents and workers will pass through a two-lane verification center before they are allowed to purchase passenger boat tickets.
The left lane will be for workers who need to present government-issued identification cards (IDs) indicating their address in Boracay or a terminal pass issued by port authorities.
Residents will pass through the right lane and will be required to present a village- or government-issued ID.
A one-stop shop will assist visitors who are going to the island on emergency cases. Various government agencies have also set up desks at the center.
Chief Supt. Cesar Hawthorne Binag, Western Visayas police director, said during a briefing on Monday that the guidelines on swimming have been amended.
Officials announced last week that swimming will be allowed only in Angol Beach at the southern end of the island.
Binag said only residents will be allowed to swim in the area near Boat Station 1 at the northern end of the island from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m.
The swimming area will be a 300-meter span covering 150 meters of each side of the Willy’s Rock, the iconic rock formation which is among the most photographed sites in Boracay.
The IDs of the swimmers will be verified to ensure that only residents swim in the area, according to Binag.
The mandatory demolition of illegal structures and the expansion of the 6.2-kilometer main road here will start when the island is closed on April 26, said engineer Fritz Ruiz, Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) planning chief in Aklan.
He said the three-phase project will cost P300 million and will be funded by the DPWH. /ee