MANILA – It looks like Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque is enjoying his weekend in the recently-reopened Boracay Island.
On Sunday afternoon, Roque shared a photo of himself sitting by the shore of the famous beach island on his official Facebook account.
The photo was captioned: “Ang aking masayang lugar mula noon, hanggang ngayon (My happy place from then until now).”
Last Friday, Roque said he will hold his regular Palace press briefing on Monday from Boracay to help attract more tourists.
He said President Rodrigo Duterte will not yet be visiting Boracay because of his busy schedule.
However, he said the President may visit the top tourist destination “in the near future.”
Roque earlier said the reopening of Boracay would support tourism industry workers and businesses amid the prevailing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.
Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said the resumption of tourism businesses signals the “gathering momentum for domestic tourism all over the country”.
Boracay started welcoming tourists last Oct. 1 after months of closure due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
Currently, all travelers including those below 21 and above 60 years old are allowed to enter the island except for those with underlying medical conditions.
Travelers must also undergo reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests that must be taken at least 48 hours prior to departure.
Confirmed booking in a Department of Tourism (DOT)-accredited accommodation establishment, air tickets, and the negative test results should be submitted online, through http://aklan.gov.ph, for the approval of the Aklan provincial government. Each visitor who is cleared to travel to the island will then be issued a unique personal QR code for monitoring.
There are around 204 Boracay hotels allowed to operate under Boracay’s new normal, representing some 4,474 rooms.DOT-accredited hotels each have a designated health and safety officer who will call the Boracay Covid Hotline number 152 should any of the guests show symptoms of the virus. (PNA)