SAN JOSE, Antique – The provincial government of Antique will soon release financial aids to boatmen plying Mararison Island to Lipata Port in Culasi, the province’s premier tourist destination.
The sea voyage and tour to Mararison Island was stopped since December 2019 after the boat operators failed to renew their boat registrations.
Social Worker Jason Alagos of the Provincial Social Welfare and Development Office in this province said during an interview on Feb. 13 that they have already discussed with the 35 boat captains and boatmen for them to be given financial assistance.
“We initially interviewed 35 boat captains and boatmen to know their situations and needs,” he said. There are also 70 more boatmen and their boat captains who will be assessed next week.
He added that the interview is a requirement for the boat crews there to be given financial assistance of P5,000 each under the Aids to Individuals in Crisis Situation.
It was Antique Provincial Board Member Victor Condez who sponsored a resolution last Jan. 16, requesting the provision of financial assistance of the boatmen and captain who halted their Mararison-Lipata operations.
As chairman of the committee on transportation and communication, he noted that the tourism industry and livelihood of the people in Mararison suffered after their sea vessels disallowed to operate.
“The tourism industry and the livelihood of the people in the island of Mararison in Culasi, Antique suffered a major setback as a result of the refusal of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to renew the registration of motorboats plying Culasi to Mararison and vice versa,” he said.
The Philippine Coast Guard of this province prevented them from plying their routes after the Maritime Industry Authority refused to renew the registration of their motorboats.(With a report from PNA./PN)
