Caticlan port to set-up one-stop shop

BY BOY RYAN B. ZABAL

Three days before the looming closure, the Caticlan port management in Malay, Aklan will establish a one-stop shop to address issues on the entry and exit of residents, workers and media to Boracay.

PHOTO AKLAN FORUM JOURNAL

A one-stop shop is part of the rigid preparations for the upcoming rehabilitation of the island.

Personnel from the departments of tourism, interior and local government, social welfare and development, environment and natural Resources, the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation and the local government of Malay will be manning the one-stop shop service, according to Caticlan port administrator-designate Niven Maquirang.

Policemen, Philippine Navy and the Philippine Coast Guard will be in place to secure the Caticlan and Cagban ports as well.

“Para ready na tayo sa April 26. Pinapraktis na natin ang ID system sa pagpasok sa Boracay,” he added.

A dry-run, he said, will be conducted on April 23 with regard to the entry and exit of passengers in Caticlan port.

Maquirang said foreigners and domestic tourists including Aklanons living in mainland Malay are not allowed to enter Boracay during the rehabilitation phase.

Boracay residents will need to show barangay identification cards to enter and leave the island through Cagban and Caticlan ports. Workers, who are required to secure terminal identification pass, have until April 25 to process their applications.

“Pag may ID ka na may address sa Boracay, ikaw ay residente ng Boracay at ito ay kailangan lamang na i-present ang ID sa ports para makapasok sa Boracay. May special lanes at may mga IDs na rin ang mga workers na kasama sa rehabilitation,” he said.

Before embarking the motorized and ferry boats, Boracay residents and workers will undergo stringent inspection and validation in Caticlan port.

Foreign residents in Boracay will be revalidated by the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation before they could enter the island. Media will be allowed in the island with prior approval and with a definite duration.

On April 26, some 300 workers from 16 towns of the province of Aklan will be deployed also in the rehabilitation works in Boracay Island.  

They will have a vehicle convoy from Kalibo to Caticlan with the local officials of Aklan on Thursday morning.

“Sila ang gigiba sa mga structures para sa widening ng 6.2 kilometers road sa isla. Sila ang mangunguna sa pagtibag na mag-uumpisa sa Cagban sa Manoc-Manoc hanggang Yapak in preparation sa pagpasok ng DPWH,” Maquirang said.

“Nakaantabay na rin ang mga trucks at barges na hahakot sa debris sa mga gigibaing structures.”

The revised 8-item list allows swimming on the beach for Boracay locals only in Willy’s Rock area in Balabag from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. instead of Angol Beach.

Floating structures for aquatic activities will be allowed beyond 3-kilometers from the shoreline.

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