Chinese nationals top ordinance violators in Boracay – officials

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 25) — Chinese nationals were found to be the top violators of local ordinances in Boracay for the first four months of the year, according to data from the island’s special regulatory unit.

Data from the Boracay Tourism Regulatory Enforcement Unit, which CNN Philippines obtained Thursday, showed that Chinese nationals have listed a total of 739 violations from January to April 2019. That includes 150 violations listed in January, 248 in February, 207 in March and 134 this month.

Korean nationals were next on the officials’ list as they had 277 violations for the said months.

Locals (Filipinos) placed in third with 92 violations, followed by Russians and Taiwanese nationals with 38 and 35 violations, respectively.

It was unclear what the specific violations were.

The Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force, however, said the number of ordinance violators already decreased when authorities initiated the project to enforce discipline and strict regulations on the island.

Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu, in a media briefing Thursday, added that Chinese nationals have been the island's top foreign visitors.

The Task Force said authorities will soon form a committee that will look into permits and licenses of establishments on the island. This comes amid some residents’ clamor that Chinese-run businesses only post signage in their local language, and that Chinese guests have been prioritized in restaurants.

“We'll be advising the restaurants that when they open a restaurant, it should be for the general public and nobody should be driven away from entering such establishment unless they do not want to pay,” said Interior Undersecretary Epimaco Densing.

CNN Philippines Correspondent Triciah Terada contributed to this report.