Boracay ‘attracts’ displaced Marawi residents, too

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

Boracay Island remains one of the favorite tourist destinations, even, for displaced civilians who were caught in crossfire as clashes between the government forces and Maute terrorist group intensify.

But it isn’t easy for Marawi residents including women and children to enter Boracay Island and its neighboring towns.

Acting Aklan provincial police director Senior Superintendent Lope Manlapaz said some managed to flee the crisis-hit Marawi and stayed in evacuation centers in neighboring cities while others fled their homes to seek refuge or search of a better life in provinces in Visayas.

In Altavas, Aklan, 19 Muslims and six Christian civilians bound to Boracay Island were intercepted at a police checkpoint at around 7 p.m. on June 18 on board two passenger utility vans.

The civilians decided to flee Marawi City to relocate with their relatives in Boracay Island, the police said. The Marawi residents have been profiled which includes mugshots, fingerprinting and documentation - in Altavas municipal police station.

According to the evacuees, they moved to Iligan City after the fighting broke out and took a ship bound to Iloilo province.

Also last Sunday, seven Muslim students from Lanao del Sur were riding a passenger utility van when they were asked to stop near a checkpoint at around 10 p.m. in Union (Cabangusan) in Nabas, about two kilometers away from Caticlan.

Last June 4, around 50 Muslims from Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte were also subjected for thorough background check by personnel of Boracay Tourist Assistance Center (BTAC).

The civilians are now sheltering in a Muslim community in Manoc-Manoc in the island after the profiling by the police and other government agencies.

Residents of Barangay Aquino in Ibajay, Aklan also alerted the police of the presence of 14 people from Marawi City who seek refuge with their relatives last week.

The article was originally published by independent online blog Aklan Forum Journal. The unrestricted use in print or radio, publication and distribution of articles are allowed provided the original author and Aklan Forum Journal are credited.