BORACAY – Malay, Aklan acting town mayor Frolibar Bautista ordered the arrest of people sneaking into this island clandestinely.
He received reports that between 3 a.m. to 5 a.m. under the cover of darkness, some people were entering the eastern part of the island through the Bulabog, Tambisaan and Ilig-Iligan beaches.
“May pumapasok sa isla na outsiders galing ibang probinsiya at kalapit isla. Sila ay may violations sa ating one entry, one exit policy at wala silang mga travel authority o letter of acceptance sa ating mga barangay,” Bautista said.
These trespassers were deliberately bypassing health and safety guidelines at the Caticlan or Cagban ports and thus should be deemed as potential threats to the health and safety of Boracay’s residents and visitors, he stressed.
Bautista ordered the Philippine Coast Guard and Aklan Maritime Police to intercept these people and impound their boats, and bring them to the quarantine facility in mainland Malay.
“Katulad ng mga turistang may pekeng coronavirus disease test results, kakasuhan din natin ang mga outsiders,” Bautista added.
Just this Jan. 7, a tourist was caught at the Caticlan Airport in mainland Malay for presenting a fake negative coronavirus test result.
According to Aklan police director Colonel Esmeraldo Osia Jr., the tourist had a forged medical clearance that certified she did not have coronavirus before traveling to Aklan from Manila.
The tourist was taken to the Aklan Training Center – a government facility in Kalibo, Aklan for mandatory quarantine.
“Dalawang beses pumasa itong turista ng magkaibang testresults na parehong peke. Napatunayan ito ng Aklan provincial validating team bago siya dumating sa Caticlan. Inaresto ito ng ating airport police at dinala sa Kalibo,” Osia said.
Last Dec. 29, 2020 two tourists were found with falsified documents at the Caticlan airport while eight travellers were extracted from their hotel in Boracay Island on Jan. for using fake medical certificates.
As a pre-entry requirement, non-Aklanon tourists entering the Boracay need to have negative coronavirus test results not earlier than 72 hours prior to arrival.
Osias fraudsters face charges for falsification and use of fraudulent documents in relation to Article 172 of the Revised Penal Code./PN
