Boracay tourists who fake COVID-19 tests will be declared persona non grata: mayor

MANILA - The local government of Malay, Aklan will declare as persona non grata Boracay tourists who forge COVID-19 tests, its acting mayor said Thursday.

Acting Mayor Frolibar Bautista made the remark after 3 of 6 visitors who presented fake COVID-19 test results have contracted the disease.

• 3 Boracay visitors with fake RT-PCR test results found positive for COVID-19: DOT

"Nag-agree kami last meeting, ang sagot ng bayan ng Malay kung sinuman nahulihang mameke ay magpasa ng resolution na i-declare ang nameke ng test as persona non grata para di na makapasok ng Boracay," he told ABS-CBN's Teleradyo.

(We agreed last meeting, the local government will pass a resolution declaring as persona non grata those who fake their test results so they can no longer enter Boracay.)

The 3 patients are quarantined in Aklan's capital Kalibo and will be charged with violation of quarantine protocols, Bautista said.

The city has yet to record local transmission as establishments and residents are compliant with minimum health standards, he added.

The local government is also considering a proposal for hotels to verify guests' coronavirus tests before confirming their bookings, according to the mayor.

The local chief executive, meantime, asked for assistance from national government as the country's once top tourist destination now only receives 400 travelers daily versus 6,000 pre-pandemic.

"Umaasa lang talaga kami sa local taxes. Marami talaga ang walang trabaho, so sana ang national government pumasok na. We need support of the national government talaga," he said.

(We rely only on local taxes. Many are jobless, so we hope the national government will intervene. We really need the support of the national government.)