MANILA, Philippines— The Boracay Interagency Task Force on Wednesday decried the entry of group of travelers identified as employees of Bureau of Fire Protection Region VI who stayed on the island from June 12 to 14, ahead of its official opening to tourists.
The Malay municipal government said the travelers included a female employee who tested positive for COVID-19.
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They went to the island at around 5 p.m. of June 12 via Tabon-Tambisaan Ports and were allowed entry since they cited attendance to a “conference.”
“The 'conference' apparently refers to the meeting of the respective secretaries of [Department of the Environment and Natural Resources, Department of the Interior and Local Government, and Department of Tourism] on June 11 - 12, 2020,” Malay LGU said in a statement on Monday.
The fire bureau is part of the DILG.
The same conference was when the Boracay IATF officially announced that the reopening of the island to Western Visayas tourists would be on June 16.
Malay LGU also said that the BFP employees indicated in a written port manifesto that they originated from Kalibo, Aklan.
During the Boracay IATF meeting, Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu said that residents of Aklan are free to visit the island as the island has been COVID-19 free and was placed under the modified general community quarantine last June 1.
Malay LGU also said that “the BFP personnel allegedly went on unofficial business and violated quarantine protocols of both the Municipality of Malay and Municipality of Kalibo (the personnel’s place of origin).”
Records of the passengers data sheet obtained by the Municipal Tourism Office showed that the COVID-19 positive BFP personnel departed the municipality of Malay at 1:40 p.m. on June 14.
'Blatant disregard of quarantine protocols'
In view of this, Malay LGU said that it strongly condemns the “irresponsible and blatant disregard of quarantine protocols.”
It added that it exhausted all means to mitigate the risk of spread of COVID-19.
“Contact tracing as well as the investigation of the series of events is being conducted through joint efforts of the Municipal Health Office, Municipal Tourism Office, and the Malay Police Station,” it said.
“Information gathering from the BFP has been difficult,” it added.
Acting mayor Frolibar Bautista said he has already consulted with the municipal legal office over filing complaints against the BFP personnel who broke quarantine rules.
The LGU will also investigate the establishment that accepted the BFP personnel even while businesses are supposed to be closed.The establishment may be charged for possible violation of Executive Orders No. 027 and 027-A of the Municipality of Malay.
Accreditation revoked, hotel staff under quarantine
Meanwhile, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat, a member of the Boracay IATF and who visited the island for the meeting last week, confirmed the incident.
In a phone interview with PhilStar.com, Puyat said that the DOT revoked the accreditation of the resort that housed the group of BFP personnel.
Puyat said that all staff and management of the resort were likewise ordered to undergo “strict quarantine.”
"The DOT shall strictly implement rules and regulations under its mandate and shall ensure that both tourism industry players and tourists would have an enjoyable experience in an environmemt where trust and confidence in destinations are regained during the New Normal,” she also said in a separate statement.
The Malay LGU has done contact tracing and have advised all concerned to undertake necessary health and safety measures.
The Boracay IATF earlier commended the provincial government of Aklan and the LGU of Malay “for mapping out stringent health and safety guidelines for tourists that ranges from digital solutions promoting contactless transactions to a detailed emergency response plan.”