ILOILO CITY — The Department of Tourism in Western Visayas (DOT-6) is now accepting the applications for accreditation of various establishments in Boracay qualified to operate when the island reopens on October 26.
The DOT’s accreditation is the last requirement before business establishments can operate.
Helen Catalbas, Regional Director of DOT-6, in an interview on Friday, said the Department of the Interior and Local Government 6 (DILG-6) through the local government unit of Malay, Aklan has already submitted around 150 establishments that are compliant with the requirements.
She added they are just waiting for the list from the Department of Environment and Natural Resources 6 (DENR-6) of establishments that have complied with the requisites of the office.
“We are just waiting for their list before we could start inspecting these establishments and issuing accreditation to them,” she said.
DENR has given the establishments until August 18 to comply with their requirements, Catalbas said.
“So we are expecting that by Monday, we already have the list,” she said.
Catalbas said while there were businesses that visited their office and showed that they have complied with the DENR and DILG requirements, yet she will just wait for a certified list from the two agencies.
Earlier, a one-stop shop was established in the island as part of the government’s assistance to establishments in observing “no compliance, no operation” policy.
The shop operated from July 30 until August 15, giving the business establishments ease in processing their requirements with the concerned agencies.
Businesses need to secure LGU requirements which include the mayor’s permit, barangay clearance, Bureau of Internal Revenue annual registration, clearance certificate from the Social Security System, occupancy permit, garbage fee, sanitary permit, real property tax clearance (if applicable) and building permit.
Businesses also have to secure the environmental compliance certificate, certificate of non-coverage, discharge permit, and permit to operate for them to be environmental compliant.
When business establishments are already fully-compliant with these requirements, they could already seek accreditation from the DOT.
Catalbas said these establishments are “committed to cooperate” in order to achieve their target of making available around 3,000 to 5,000 rooms when the island reopens. (Cindy Ferrer/PNA)
