Boracay Island is once again open to visitors from Metro Manila and Luzon after the municipality of Malay in Aklan on Tuesday advised tourists to check flight schedules to the island and its world-famous white sand beaches.
This was after the national government on Monday allowed leisure travel from National Capital Region Plus areas to other general community quarantine (GCQ) and modified GCQ areas (See story on A1).
In a Facebook post, the Malay Tourism Office advised tourists from Metro Manila, Cavite, Laguna, Rizal, and Bulacan to check with airline companies for flight availability.
"Other tourists coming from other GCQ/MGCQ areas are always allowed as well. The same LGU requirements are necessary to comply," the office said.
Meanwhile, President Rodrigo Duterte is waiting for the results of the Department of Health’s (DOH) “critique” on Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia's decision to veer away from the national government's swabbing policy for returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs).
Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said this in a Palace press briefing after Duterte and Garcia discussed the latter’s own swabbing policy in a two-hour meeting on Monday.
In other developments, more than 1.2 million people in the Philippines have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19 as of May 30, almost three months after the launch of its vaccination campaign, the DOH said.
Also, Quezon City Rep. Alfred Vargas urged the government to take the needed steps to encourage more drug manufacturers to establish manufacturing plants in the Philippines for developing and producing COVID-19 vaccines.
Vargas, chairman of the House committee on social services, said the presence of these companies will have long-term benefits, particularly in assuring us of a stable supply of vaccines.
During the meeting, Roque said Garcia defended her policy of swabbing ROFs and OFWs twice—upon arrival and on the seventh day—noting that it is “more effective” in containing the spread of Covid-19 in the province.
He said Garcia also explained that her decision was also based on “humanitarian grounds” since they also have to pay for a 10-day quarantine in a Department of Health (DOH)-accredited hotel.
“The President understands this, especially the point on the humanitarian aspect of OFWs…there are times that it is really difficult to implement a 10-day quarantine,” Roque said in a Palace press briefing.
Despite the President’s recognition of the facts at hand, he said Duterte reminded Garcia of the need to comply with the national policies on swabbing of ROFs and OFWs.
“The President said that national policies should be observed by everyone. But when it comes to Cebu, the President decided to give the Department of Health until Thursday to critique revised protocols being implemented in Cebu to find out if they are fit for Cebu or if we can learn something from it,” he said.