THE white-sand beaches and rich marine resources of Puerto Galera are more accessible now to holidaymakers as the provincial government of Oriental Mindoro fully reopens its borders.
Following this and the decision of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases to ease travel restrictions in the country by way of uniform health and safety protocols, Puerto Galera Mayor Rocky D. Ilagan has issued Executive Order 21-2021, scrapping RT-PCR and antigen test requirements for travelers starting March 10.
He told the BusinessMirror in an interview that tourists only need to log-on to their Tourist Registration app and submit their health declaration form and pre-approved booking in a Department of Tourism-accredited hotel and resort. The tourist registration app may be downloaded via the municipality web site or Google Play.
“Our economy relies fully on tourism, and I’ve been seen how the pandemic has impacted our residents’ lives.
They have nothing to eat, because we don’t have an agriculture sector. We’ve had consultations with our stakeholders associations, and they tell me it’s better to die with their bellies full, instead of dying in hunger,” said Ilagan in Filipino.
Also, as per the mayor’s EO, tourists below 15 years old “will be allowed to enter Puerto Galera provided they will travel together with their parents/guardian.”
When they arrive at the Muelle Port/Balatero Port and Villaflor Border, tourists “must proceed to the travel management desk for health and exposure assessment and QR code scanning and payment of an environmental users fee of P120.”
Data from the municipality showed in 2019, tourist arrivals grew by 12 percent to 313,618, with receipts at P1.57 billion, estimated at a P5,000-spend per person. Prior to the pandemic, arrivals were recorded at 60,259 and receipts at P500 million. From August 16, 2020, when the municipality partially reopened to point-to-point tourists from Manila, to March 8, 2021, visitor arrivals reached 3,682, of which more than 63 percent were from outside Mindoro. Tourism receipts generated during the same period amounted to P28.83 million, 77 percent of which came from tourists outside Mindoro.
“I’d be a fool to say if I’m not apprehensive of the opening of the border, but what’s important to me now is that our people are able to find jobs,” Ilagan underscored. “For almost a year, our residents didn’t have any livelihood. We’re fortunate that the national government, DOT, and DOLE (Department of Labor) were able to extend financial assistance to our tourism workers but then again, its not enough. It’s better for our residents to find jobs.”
He assured tourists the some 600 hotels and resorts in the municipality are strictly monitored in their implementation of health and safety protocols. Since Puerto Galera slightly opened to tourists in August, until Monday, there have “only been five recorded Covid-19 cases.” The bulk came in December, he said, when the border was opened for returning travelers and visiting relatives for Christmas.
“We’re the only area in the province which has a QR code, so we know where exactly our locals and tourists have gone,” he said, stressing the municipality’s efficient contact-tracing system.
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