Business operators in Western Visayas are pushing for the use of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) saliva test for tourists visiting Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan.
In their joint letter, Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) chapters in the region urged “the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force (BIATF) to seriously review and consider, and if acceptable and reliable, approve for the immediate use of the RT-PCR Saliva Test as an alternative testing mode for Boracay-bound tourists.”
The letter was sent to Department of Environment and Natural Resources Secretary (DENR) and Boracay IATF chair Roy Cimatu, Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Secretary and Boracay IATF vice-chair Eduardo Año, and Department of Tourism (DOT) Secretary and Boracay IATF co-vice chair Bernadette Romulo-Puyat.
The saliva-based COVID-19 test, which is “cheaper, faster, and easier to administer” than the swab test, “has been approved by the DOH,” the letter stated.
From December 2020 to January 2021, the Malay Tourism Office registered a total of 27,205 tourist arrivals.
“[This number is] still not substantial for our stakeholders in Boracay to survive and sustain its operations. The aforesaid [figure] likewise shows that majority of tourists are now coming from Manila,” the PCCI chapters said.
“While we deplore the recent incidents if tourists with fake RT-PCR tests trying to get into Boracay, these show the serious interests of many to, once again, visit the island, especially as we approach the summer season,” they further said.
The PCCI chapters also sought “the government’s support for the installation of a molecular laboratory for saliva testing in Caticlan and/or in the island of Boracay” to “ensure the timely and accurate COVID-19 testing for both tourists and other stakeholders alike.”
“This will not benefit Boracay but the entire Western Visayas region as its other cities and provinces also supply both labor and materials to the island,” they said, adding that a successful implementation of the COVID Saliva Testing and its boost to Boracay’s recovery efforts will serve as a template for all the major tourist destinations in the country.
The letter was signed by PCCI – Boracay president Wesley Van Der Voort, Antique CCI president Vicente P. Lagunday, PCCI – Aklan Chapter president Ramel V. Buncalan, Capiz Halaran CCI president Engr. Dale F. Bernas, Metro Bacolod CCI president Roberto L. Montelibano, Guimaras CCI president Neptune Pittman, PCCI – Iloilo president lawyer Jobert A. Peñaflorida and PCCI Western Visayas regional governor Ronald U. So.IMT
