New guidelines issued for Boracay, Guimaras ferries

ILOILO CITY, Philippines—The Philippine Coast Guard will issue new guidelines for seacraft plying the Iloilo Strait and other short routes including to and from the island resort of Boracay when these areas are under storm signal number 1.

The proposed guidelines will allow vessels weighing 1,000 gross tons and below to sail between Iloilo and Guimaras (along the Iloilo Strait) and between Caticlan and Boracay Island (along the Tañon Strait) even if these areas are under storm signal number 1, if sea conditions are normal.

Captain Eduardo Fabricate, commander of the Coast Guard Iloilo station, said the interim guidelines will apply only to the two areas and other routes classified as "short-distance" and "special" routes.

Short-distance routes are those which do not exceed four kilometers or trips that can be completed within 30 minutes. The point of origin, route and point of destination should also be within the line of sight.

The special areas include those "within bays and rivers, enclosed by natural coves or sheltered zones whose natural topographical characteristic makes its sea area less vulnerable to adverse effects of the prevailing weather condition."

The guidelines do not apply to tugboats, government-operated vessels and motorboats used for non-commercial purposes and vessels and motorboats tapped by the Coast Guard to assist in search-and- rescue operations.

The proposed guidelines were presented to stakeholders during a consultation at the Coast Guard Western Visayas District headquarters here on Friday. Among those who attended the meeting were officials of the motorboat association in Guimaras and the Integrated Bar of the Philippines-Guimaras chapter.

The Guimaras Regional Trial Court last October 21 issued a preliminary injunction barring the Coast Guard from automatically suspending operations of small ferryboats to and from Guimaras when the area is placed under storm signal number 1.

The court blocked the implementation of provisions of the Coast Guard's Memorandum Circular No. 01-09. The provision authorizes the Coast Guard stations to automatically suspend the operations of sea vessels weighing 1,000 gross tons and below when storm signal number 1 is raised within the vessels' point of origin, route or destination.

The provincial government of Guimaras and the provincial chapter of the IBP had earlier sought the issuance of a temporary restraining order against the Coast Guard memorandum and the eventual nullification of the order.

They complained that thousands of passengers were stranded and the economy severely disrupted because of the automatic cancellation of trips even if sea conditions remained normal.

Fabricante said other areas may be also declared by the Coast Guard Commandant as covered by the new guidelines.

But under the proposed news guidelines, seacraft may be allowed to sail only when 10 conditions exist or are all satisfied.

Vessels will be allowed to travel only between sunrise and sunset and when the sea condition is not rough.

The new rules also prescribe that wind velocity should be not more than 30 kilometers per hour or 16 knots and there is good visibility.

Passenger vessels will only be allowed to carry passengers up to 75 percent of its authorized passenger capacity. The passengers and crew members of boats with open decks will be required to wear life jackets while aboard.

The local government or the boat operator will also designate lookouts and deploy standby emergency boats at the point of origin and destination.

Fabricante said the new guidelines will be issued within the year after consultation with stakeholders in Caticlan and Boracay.

Boracay is the best beach in the world

(200 miles) south of Manila and 2km off the northwest tip of the island of Panay in the Western Visayas region of the Philippines. It is one of the country's most popular tourist destinations. The island comprises the barangays of Manoc-Manoc, Balabag, and Yapak (3 of the 17 barangays which make up the municipality of Malay), and is under the administrative control of the Philippine Tourism Authority in coordination with the Provincial Government of Aklan.

History of boracay The island was originally home to the Ati tribe. Boracay is part of Aklan Province,which became an independent province on April 2,2007 Aklan Tour,publisher Panublion Heritage Site 2007-06-12 Formerly undiscovered,it wasn't till the 1970s that tourism began to develop in Boracay,cite book title 100 Resorts in the Philippines.Places with a Heart of paradise island and the author are Grele,Dominique,Lily Yousry-Jouve year 2004 publisher the Asiatype,Inc.and the island became popular with the backpacking travel in the 1980s.Years ago,Boracay Island was a well-guarded of the beauty of paradise.

It was only in the 70's when, it is said, a foreign movie crew accidentally "discovered" this island paradise. Others maintain that it was the German traveller, Jens Peters' book, which included rave reviews of Boracay that changed the island’s pace from that of being a quiet secret to eventually being voted as having the best beach in the world.

Whichever story is true, it was around this time that Boracay Island slowly ceased to be a private travellers hangout and eventually became a favourite tourist destination in the Philippines. In a span of a mere 10 years, the whole world, it seemed, discovered Boracay and the once, nearly deserted stretch of beach became a teeming vacation and leisure spot for upscale tourists from all parts of the world.
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