Tourists to pay P100 insurance before entering Boracay

Tourists traveling to Boracay will have to secure accident insurance before entering the resort island starting Monday, November 28, 2022.

According to Malay, Aklan Mayor Floribar Bautista, tourists without any insurance coverage can pay P100 at the jetty port before entering Boracay.

“Sa Boracay kasi, maraming activities—water activities, so at least meron silang, in case na may mangyari, at least meron silang protection,” he said in Dano Tingcungco's report on GMA’s “24 Oras Weekend” on Sunday.

(In Boracay there are a lot of activities—water activities, so at least they have, in case something happens, at least they have protection.)

Bautista said tourists with existing insurance do not have to pay the P100, but they still have the option to do so for additional coverage.

“Show mo lang na insured ka… As I said, duplication na nga ‘yun, so kung gusto mo rin, kumuha ka,” he said.

The local government unit said it tapped a private firm with existing presence in Aklan to make it easier to process claims should there be any.

However, the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry (PCCI) in Boracay said this should have been consulted with stakeholders considering that businesses are required by the tourism department to have a third-party liability insurance.

“Meron na po kaming binabayarang insurance na yearly. Every establishment, for example sa accommodation, lahat po ng establishment meron pong nakalagay na po na insurance,” PCCI Boracay former president Elena Brugger said in the same report.

(We already pay for insurance yearly. Every establishment, for example in accommodation, every establishment already has insurance.)

“I think it’s better for us to… you know, to invent ideas to make or to improve our island. Another expense po ‘yan sa tourist,” she added.

Brugger also said that the insurance should not be mandated for tourists, and should be optional moving forward.

“Depende po ‘yan sa individual. This is your human right if you’re going to be insured or not. Wala namang sapilitan,” she said.

(This would depend on the individual. This is your human right if you’re going to be insured or not. This should not be forced.)

'Not mandatory'

In Oscar Oida's report on 24 Oras on Monday, Mayor Bautista clarified that the accident insurance is optional. "Hindi man ito mandatory. Ine-encourage lang at saka ino-offer ng isang insurer per ordinance natin. At para naman 'yon sa proteksyon ng ating mga turista ng Boracay," he said.

The Insurance Commission, meanwhile, says there is nothing untoward in the P100 accident insurance offer but that offering the insurance should not be exclusive to one company. "No insurance company issued with a valid certificate of authority to transact insurance business anywhere in the Philippines by the Insurance Commissioner shall be barred, prevented or disenfranchised from issuing any insurance policy or from transacting any insurance business within the scope of coverage of its certificate of authority anywhere in the Philippines by any local government unit or authority for whatever guise or reason whatsoever, including under any kind of ordinance, accreditation system or scheme," said Brian Sibuyan, head of the Insurance Commission's Regulation, Enforcement, and Prosecution division, quoting the Insurance Code.

Bautista then also said that the insurance offer is not exclusive to one company, but that only one has applied so far. — Jon Viktor D. Cabuenas/BM, GMA Integrated News