SERIOUS VS. FAKERS OF TEST RESULTS. Tourism Secretary Bernadette R. Puyat (Left) on Wednesday (April 28, 2021) says they are serious in running after fake negative RT-PCR results and those behind its proliferation. In a virtual presser, she said the Department of Justice has already ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to go after those responsible for the fake negative RT-PCR tests in Boracay island. (Photo screenshot from virtual press conference)
ILOILO CITY – The local government of unit (LGU) of Malay has declared 122 tourists as “persona non grata” for using fake reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results to enter Boracay Island.
The 122 fakers of the swab tests were apprehended from October last year, the time the island reopened its doors to tourists, up to February this year, according to the information furnished by the Department of Tourism Boracay Field Office to the Philippine News Agency (PNA) on Wednesday.
A Sangguniang Bayan (SB) of Malay resolution approved on March 11 states that tourists will be “unwelcome for the duration of the Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) pandemic or the public health emergency”.
The declaration is to serve as a “deterrent to others who arrogantly refuse to heed the methods and processes” in Malay amid this pandemic where public health and the economy are at stake, states the same resolution sponsored by SB member Maylyn Aguirre-Graf.
Meanwhile, Tourism Secretary Bernadette R. Puyat, in a virtual press conference on Wednesday, said her department is serious about running after tourists who put the health and lives of others by presenting fake test results.
Puyat said local government units (LGUs) require negative RT-PCR test results to make sure visitors are free from Covid-19, including in Boracay Island to keep it free from the disease, workers from the tourism sector will not get infected, and locals are protected.
The Department of Justice has already ordered the National Bureau of Investigation to go after those behind its proliferation and those who produce fake results will be caught, she added.
To assist tourists who are interested to visit the island, Puyat said that the department subsidized the conduct of RT-PCR tests thus they only have to pay PHP700 instead of the PHP3,500.
Apart from running after the fake RT-PCR, it is also important that establishments are accredited because the department also wanted to make sure they follow protocols, Puyat said.
She said the Western Visayas regional office has already received 64 complaints about breaches of health and safety protocols.
“Region 6 conducts spot checks to make sure that those accredited by the Department of Tourism pass the health and safety protocols of the Department of Health,” she said.
Malay Chief Tourism Operations Officer Felix G. delos Santos Jr., in an interview, said the verification of documents and the release of the QR code for tourists are being handled at the provincial level.
He added that tourists who wanted to enter the island are still required to present their negative RT-PCR but they already have an option whether it is a swab or saliva RT-PCR test.
Upon verification of their negative RT-PCR result, confirmed booking with DOT-accredited establishment and their S-PaSS (Safe, Swift, and Smart Passage) application, they will be issued a QR code that they can use from the airport protocol, jetty port, and hotel establishment activities in Boracay until their departure.
From April 1 to April 25, the Municipal Tourism Office of Malay has recorded 1,217 visitors coming through the Caticlan as their entry point. (PNA)
