BORACAY ISLAND — Crime incidents in this island have decreased amid the closure and ongoing rehabilitation, the Police Regional Office 6 (Western Visayas) (PRO-6) said.
PRO-6 Spokesperson, Senior Inspector Joem Malong, in an interview on Saturday, said there were only seven crime incidents recorded from April 23 to 26.
This reflects a significant drop compared to the 40 crime incidents recorded from April 16 to 22, or the week prior to the closure.
“This created a peaceful environment that allowed the other government agencies to start smoothly with the rehabilitation process,” she said.
Malong attributed the island’s peaceful situation to the successful implementation of the security plan by the Metro Boracay Task Force (MBTF) and other law enforcement agencies through their augmentation forces.
About 600 forces from PRO-6 were deployed to provide security in the island.
There are also 200 augmentation forces from the Philippine Army and Philippine Navy and some 100 personnel from the Philippine Coast Guard.
Malong added that the cooperation of the public is also one of the big contributory factors to the peace and order being experienced in the island during the first few days of the six months closure.
“PRO-6 solicits for the continued support of the community and other stakeholders to cooperate in the maintenance of peace and order until the rehabilitation ends,” she said.
While some tourists and displaced workers continue to leave the island, Malong noted that the crowd is still manageable at the Cagban Jetty Port, the only exit point from the island.
The MBTF has established assistance desks at Cagban Jetty Port and Caticlan Jetty Port to attend to the needs of the passengers.
Other personnel help the staff of these ports to make sure that only residents and workers of the island, as well as accredited media personnel, will enter Boracay.
Based on the data of the Department of Tourism 6, the last booked date of tourists in the island is on April 29. (PNA)
