Tourists in Boracay, companies defying prohibition of parties prevented

ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION New regulations prohibit holidays, alcohol consumption and smoking on the beaches of Boracay. -MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

Tourists who insist on partying and having a drink on Boracay Beach despite the ban of such activities will be treated legally.

Malacañang issued the warning following reports that tourists and commercial establishments were not complying with regulations to protect the island's natural environment.

"If this is true, they will face charges," said President Salvador Panelo's spokesman Monday during a press conference.

Panelo, however, stated that he had never seen or heard of any violations during his recent visit to Boracay.

Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said she had received information that tourists and businesses would challenge the rules set by the Boracay inter-agency working group.

Oath of the tourist

The parties, she said, take place on the beach with loud music, tobacco and alcohol.

Before getting on the island, tourists are required to take an oath, in which they undertake to respect the environmental laws and regulations of the island.

It is now forbidden to drink and smoke in public places, to party in the non-construction area and to make sandcastles. Kerosene lamps and bonfires are also prohibited on the beach.

Boracay was reopened to the public on October 26, six months after President Rodrigo Duterte called the island "cesspool" and ordered its closure and rehabilitation.

Puyat said the authorities would issue tickets to tourists and business establishments violating the rules of the island.

Casino ban

Malacañang has announced that a decree prohibiting casinos to operate in Boracay would be published soon.

The secretary of justice, Menardo Guevarra, had previously asked Puyat to ask the president to declare the island "without a casino".

"It will come from the office of the executive secretary. I have not received any project, "said Panelo, adding that he shared Guevarra's legal opinion on the issue.

"The president's policy is that there should not be casinos in Boracay because he thinks it's a family. [destination]. Families go there and he does not want there to be games in Boracay. "

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