Published April 14, 2021, 3:08 PM
The island of Boracay during the summer season (Rey Ilagan)
Picture this: Fine white sand, pristine seawater, clear blue skies, and you sipping your favorite summer drink while watching the famed Boracay sunset from the comfort and safety of a crowdless beach front. It’s not very common to get the island’s best view all to yourself. In fact, there has never been a time that this was at all possible throughout Boracay’s active existence as the country’s most-visited beach destination and, at one point, the busiest party island in the region.
As community quarantine extends to over a year now, the growing restlessness of people staying at home or localized in a city especially for residents of Metro Manila and nearby provinces have further resulted in lockdown fatigue for many. So when the Department of Tourism (DOT) finally allowed leisure travel late last year, together with the easing of mobility restrictions, many travelers rejoiced in d
SunStar
+ February 19, 2021 THE Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI)-Western Visayas urged the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases to allow the saliva testing as a requirement for tourists entering the island resort.
In a draft resolution, the PCCI-Western Visayas said saliva testing is cheaper compared to the current Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test.
Saliva test results could be released three to four hours, compared to the 24-hour waiting period for those swabbed for RT-PCR test.
Expected to sign the resolution are Ronald So, regional governor of PCCI-Western Visayas; Wesley Van Der Voort, president of PCCI-Boracay; Vicente Lagunday, PCCI-Antique; Ramel Buncalan, PCCI-Aklan; Engr. Dale Bernas of PCCI-Halaran Capiz; Neptune Pittman of Guimaras; and Roberto Montelibano of the Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry.