The local government of Malay, Aklan has lifted the mask mandate on Boracay Island, where tourists go especially to swim and breathe in the clean sea air on the white beach.
Executive Order No. 26 by Municipal Mayor Frolibar S. Bautista on September 12 suspended Municipal Ordinance No. 470, specifically with regard to the wearing of face masks.
Malay’s EO 26 cited Malacañang’s EO No. 3 “allowing voluntary wearing of face masks in outdoor settings and reiterating the continued implementation of minimum public health standards during the state of public health emergency relative to the Covid-19 pandemic…”
Compliance Association of Boracay President Boyet Sacdalan told the BusinessMirror, “This is good news, because when outside, you do mostly outdoor activities, and when you are inside a restaurant and have to dine, you still have to remove your masks.”
He added that currently, “There are still people wearing masks outdoors. Most of them are visitors, maybe about 50 percent of them. It’s just an option for the guests.”
The masking mandate in Boracay has been a cause of consternation among tourists, who sometimes forget to wear their masks while walking along the beach. Many have complained that while they aren’t arrested or jailed, the local police, who take down their personal details, unnecessarily detain them for long periods of time on the beach.
In an advisory on its Facebook page, however, the Malay local government unit (LGU) clarified that while wearing of face mask in well-ventilated public places is voluntary, “face masks must be worn at all times for senior citizens and individuals with comorbidities and those inside crowded places, indoors, and in public transportation.”
Arrivals to the island slipped to 122,373 in the month of September, with the onset of the monsoon season and the opening of school. According to the Malay LGU, arrivals to the island were 157,338 in August, and 183,096 in July.
Of the total arrivals in September, domestic tourists still accounted for the bulk at 106,776; overseas Filipinos or overseas Filipino workers were 3,084; while foreign tourists were 12,513. From January to September 2022, arrivals in Boracay reached some 1.29 million.
However, tourists still have to continue using Aklan’s QR code system before entering the island, considered by many international publications and travel web sites as among the best in the world. Boracay continues to be the most popular destination in the country among domestic tourists, judging from the results of the just concluded 33rd Philippine Travel Mart. (See, “Public still spending on travel despite rising consumer prices,” in the BusinessMirror, October 3, 2022.)
Tour operators, travel agents, and other tourism stakeholders have long complained about the QR code system of Aklan, which they feel is counter-productive, especially at a time when the new leadership at the Department of Tourism has called for the easing of travel restrictions to the country’s destinations.
Meanwhile, the Caticlan Jetty Port said in an advisory on its Facebook page, “Pursuant to General Ordinance No. 2022-021 series of 2022, the terminal fee rate effective September 23, 2022 shall be P150 for all tourists 6 years old and above.” The terminal fee used to be P100.
Tourists to Boracay Island have to take a short boat ride from the Caticlan port, and thus have to pay the increased terminal fee.
Image credits: Jackmalipan | Dreamstime.com
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