Boracay workers feeling brunt of looming closure

BORACAY, Philippines — Workers on this vacation island have begun to feel the negative effects of the government mandated six-month closure. 

Rose, a 33-year-old masseuse, used to earn more than P1,000 per day. But since the closure of Boracay was announced, Rose’s income has been decreasing. “From P1,000, I could barely earn P300 a day now. There are days that I go home empty handed,” she said.

“For sure, we will find it hard once Boracay is closed but we already accept it,” added Rose, a mother of three.

President Duterte ordered the six-month closure of Boracay beginning April 26 to give way to the clean up and rehabilitation of the famous resort island.

Last Holy Week, tourist arrivals in Boracay fell by 20 percent as tourists chose other destinations.

Like Rose, other members of the Malay Boracay Vendors Peddlers
Masseurs Manicurist Association have the same sentiment. Last Wednesday, for instance, the sun was about to set but none of them had a customer that day.

Tricycle drivers are also experiencing the pinch. “The drivers have been asking if they could slash their boundary by half,” said Rowen Aguirre, executive assistant for Boracay Affairs of the Malay local government unit.

Many workers in hotels and resorts have been laid off. “For the duration of the Boracay shutdown, hotels and resorts would only maintain 20 to 30 percent of their work force for purposes of housekeeping,” Aguirre said. 

Big hotels and resorts have offered their employees a chance to work in properties in other parts of the country. Others were told to go on forced leave, while some were given the “no work, no pay” option with the assurance that they would be re-hired once Boracay opens.

Other workers have accepted a settlement for their separation from the company.

Aguirre said based on reports, the closure of Boracay would affect 0.5 percent of the total gross domestic product of the entire Western Visayas. “That would be billions, of course,” he added. 

In 2017, Boracay Island took in P56 billion in tourist receipts. If tourist arrivals are pegged at two million and there was supposed to be an increased of eight to 10 percent this year, “it could mean losses of P30 billion,” Aguirre said.

These losses are on top of the losses suffered by businesses affected by the closure.

DSWD operation center 

The Department of Social Welfare and Development Region 6 (DSWD-6) opened a one-stop-shop in Balabag Plaza last April 7.

“It is where the staff of the DSWD and other agencies can work together and converge efforts in addressing the needs of Boracay residents and non-residents who are all affected by the closure,” DSWD-6 regional director Rebecca Geamala said.

“Those who are affected by the closure of the island can go to our Operation Center. We have social workers there who are ready to listen and help,” she added.

The DSWD has tapped the expertise of field workers from different municipalities of Aklan and assigned them to work at the Operation Center. They are helping affected residents and even non residents gain access to livelihood and other forms of assistance. DSWD-6 plans to provide cash or food in exchange for work.

“We will wait for the revalidated list of the local government unit to ensure that those who need help most will be the ones who will receive the aid. We will also check what livelihood project would suit them,” Geamala said.

Meanwhile, the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) will mobilize around 100 personnel to help in the clean-up operations.

“Some of our men will assist the Department of the Interior and Local Government in demolishing structures in the area and in coordinating other related tasks with other concerned agencies,” said DENR Undersecretary Jonas Leones.

The Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) will transport heavy equipment to be used for the clean up operations, including four dump trucks, two loaders, one backhoe and one loader backhoe.

“These equipment would be used for the widening of the main road, the Boracay Circumferential Road…There are road obstructions along the sidewalk,” said DPWH Region 6 Director Wenceslao Leano.

“Right now the existing roads are very narrow, we aim to widen it to 12 meters so it could be used by both pedestrians and vehicles,” he added.

Leano said even before President Duterte decided to close Boracay, the DPWH already has a P50-million project to fill the 600-meter “missing gap” along the Boracay Circumferential Road but the project could not be completed because of road right-of-way issues. 

The DPWH is also coordinating with the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority (TIEZA) regarding the repair of the drainage system, particularly the estimated 4 to 6 kilometers from the Boracay jetty port to Yapak district.

“We would be able to finish our tasks in six months if there would be no problems with road right-of-way and if the DENR would give us the go signal to demolish everything,” Leano said.

DPWH Secretary Mark Villar has committed at least P400 million for the road-widening project. Public works officials are still computing on the cost of repairing the drainage system. – With Evelyn Macairan, Rhodina Villanueva