DOT: Boracay opens in October to local tourism

Economic activity in the domestic arena has been suffering and is still reeling from the effects of the lockdowns caused by the Covid-19 pandemic. But the Department of Tourism (DOT) and Boracay Interagency Task Force (BIATF), along with the local government units of Aklan, and the Municipality of Malay, have come up with a daring plan to allow for the reopening of the popular tourist destination while putting into practice all the necessary health and safety protocols determined by the Philippine government.

However, the reopening is going to be limited and tourists only from areas that are under General Community Quarantine (GCQ), along with those from Western Visayas are going to be allowed into the tourist spot. The latter of which had been allowed to enter since June 16, 2020.

According to the Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romula-Puyat, the reopening will take a “calibrated” approach, that is, it will be done gradually. Incoming tourists will have to undertake certain procedures before being allowed in. Namely, they will have to take a voluntary test before traveling. The tourists will take an RT-PCR 48 to 72 hours and the test result must be negative before traveling.

Those who took the test must also undergo strict quarantine before the time of their departure for the island. To make contact tracing a lot easier, only the Godolfredo P. Ramos Airport in Caticlan in the Municipality of Malay.

The limited age range of tourists has been lifted, allowing travelers below 21 years old and 60 up. However, patients within those age ranges must not have two or more existing medical conditions. The Department of Tourism has also issued certificates authorizing about 199 hotels and resorts to operate, in addition to a Covid-19 testing laboratory.

Plans for local economic recovery

In light of the gradual reopening of the Philippine economy, the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), along with the Board of Investments (BOI) is planning to rebuild local economies. Before the pandemic, the Philippines only had one factory producing 2 million PPEs in 1 month, and the country to rush PPEs from other countries. This kind of stunt is risky for the country as not all countries can provide the necessary amount of PPEs as they too have to address the needs of their people. So the solution is to increase local production of the needed PPEs. Right now, the Philippines can increase its PPE production to 56 million masks in a month by repurposing factories of other manufacturers, who may not even be in the medical industry.

Other small local businesses in other provinces had the presence of mind to make their masks, not necessarily medical-grade when the government started requiring everyone to start wearing masks.

To paraphrase the DTI secretary, increasing the production capacity is not enough and the local populace must also be encouraged to purchase locally. Doing so will also help stir up the local economies of those localities.

Government agencies are not the only ones planning to reopen businesses, even private citizens have taken other avenues to look for opportunities to earn something despite the lockdown. Right now, online transactions are a hot topic. Those in the food industry, medical, and finances, are the ones guaranteed to stay open as they are considered essential. Private citizens who own motorcycles were able to take the opportunity to use their vehicles as a means to work as errand boys or couriers. They deliver goods for online sellers, mainstream restaurants, and some even do grocery shopping for you. You just need to pay the additional service fee.

Sometimes you just need to relax

After being locked down for so long, we owe to ourselves to set ourselves free and make the most but due to the outbreak, many jobs were lost and many have been decimated, causing people to go for their savings or government handouts to survive. The holidays are also around the corner. If you want to treat yourself or your family on a small vacation to Boracay, or any available tourist spot, you will need some cash so where can you get said cash?

Robocash PH may just be what you are looking for, of course. The requirements to obtain a loan are not as stringent as banks, a loan applicant only needs to submit very few requirements. Namely, two valid Ids issued by the government such as Postal ID, Voter's ID, or Driver's License. They must also have a functional mobile number, the applicant must also register an online account to the Robocash Website. Finally, the applicant must be 21 to years old and not older than 70 by the time the loan term ends.

There are many benefits of online loan 5000. Applicants don't have to fall in line to get the loan, just at the point where they have to claim the cash itself. But even for the claiming part, there are ways to obtain the money digital such as through G-Cash or Cebuana Cash Pick-Up. Since the transaction is mainly electronic, the loan can be obtained in minutes, sometimes even seconds. Financial transactions are encouraged now to be done electronically, anyway so borrowers might as well take this route. This also reduces the applicant's chances of being infected by the pandemic. So if you are short on cash and are just itching to fly to Boracay, why not give Robocash a shot? You can visit the our website to get a quick loan and relax with your family at the resort without leaving the country.