The mayor of Panglao town has allowed only sightseeing activities and not food selling and other tourism activities at Virgin Island. This order was contained in a post of Mayor Edgardo “Boy” Arcay on his Facebook page.
He said: “Adunay immediate closure sa maong isla sa food vendors og uban tourism activities effective August 3, 2022. Magpadayon gihapon ang island-hopping operations [ug] limitado lang [kini] sa sightseeing.”
In a post on Aug. 4, 2022, Gov. Aris Aumentado said that based on the inter-agency meeting, it was decided to suspend “tourism operations” in the area.
“Tungod kay kini [Virgin Island] jurisdiction man sa LGU [local government unit] Panglao, ang Provincial Government magamonitor aron masiguro nga ma-implementar ug tama ang balaud ug tourism standards,” the governor added.
The Bohol Tribune reached out to Provincial Legal Officer Handel Lagunay for clarification and he echoed the position of Arcay that sightseeing activities are allowed as food selling is no longer allowed on the area.
Moreover, Panglao vice mayor Noel Hormachuelos relayed to The Bohol Tribune that, indeed, there was a decision to limit the activities in the area. He said only sightseeing and swimming are allowed.
The vice mayor said that the LGU Panglao has yet to finally decide on which new area will the displaced food vendors be transfered after they have been barred from selling at the Virgin Island. He expects the LGU leadership to come up with a decision next week.
Virgin Island is a strip of white sand beach located near the Panglao Reef Flat and it belongs to the territorial jurisdiction of the town of Panglao. The area is being managed by the Protected Area Management Board (PAMB).
THE OFFSHOOT
The decision to limit the activities at Virgin Island was an offshoot of a facebook post done by a certain Vilma Uy; the post went viral.
The post said that a group of tourists who went to the area allegedly paid an eye-popping price of P26,000 and showed a price list where some of the items seemingly were overpriced.
Uy showed a photo where oysters were priced at P3,000 and while the sea urchin were bought at at P2,300.
As of this writing, the post already has more than 5,000 shares.
As this developed, reports say that Arcay sought the side of the vendors about the matter.
According to a CNN Philippines’ report, the mayor finds the food prices to be a bit overpriced. He also learned that there were 20 people in the group who ordered the food, including their boatmen.
One of the vendors lamented that the guests should have taken pictures prior to finishing the meal and not after, so the people can assess if the ordered meals were reasonable or not. Arcay told the media network CNN Philippines that the photos showed the leftovers.
Arcay also bared that the vendors provide commissions to boatmen who bring guests to the tourist area.
Moreover, there are food vendors who source their produce from Ubay town another place outside of Panglao. This means more expenses to be incurred in gathering the sea product.
The mayor said that while he understands the plight of the vendors, this does not change the fact that the prices of food being sold at Virgin Island are a bit expensive.