This Week in Boracay (January 29 to February 4, 2018)

Construction for the second phase of the Boracay drainage improvement project is set to start this January. This is after the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprise Zone Authority approved the additional budget of PhP400 million for the project. The project, which is expected to be completed by 2020, has a total allocation of PhP1.6 million. The improvement of the drainage system is eyed to solve the flooding problem in the island. The second phase consists of the construction of a pipeline which will divert treated drainage water to a wetland in Sitio Lugutan instead of Bulabog Beach.

D’ Park Food Hub Boracay is an indoor food hub located at E Mall Boracay compound in Station 3. It has a number of restaurants which serve different cuisines. Diners can find lechon (roast suckling pig) and ngohiong (vegetable spring roll with five-spice chili sauce) from Cebu, homemade siomai (Chinese dumpling), rice meals, as well as street food from Singapore and Mexico. The place has a spacious food court for groups. Customers can also drink alcohol or enjoy fun games. Every Wednesday, they hold an open mic session and karaoke. D’ Park Food Hub Boracay is open daily from 11:00 AM until 12:00 MN.

Motag Living Museum is the only interactive cultural museum in the Philippines. It is located in Barangay Motag, about 10 minutes away from Caticlan. Guest can try traditional snacks, watch locals perform traditional dances, and learn crafts while touring the musuem. Guest can also try to plant rice and ride a carabao or water buffalo during the tour.

Entrance to the interactive farmer’s village costs PhP700 for adults and PhP300 for children. The museum is open daily from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM except on Mondays.

Shirts printed with Boracay-inspired designs are a common souvenir among visitors of the island. T-shirts are usually sold at PhP150 to PhP250 depending on the size, color, and design. Vendors selling T-shirts can be found everywhere, mostly along the beachfront. For a more unique and personal souvenir, hand-painted shirts can also be found at Happy Planet Boracay. They have five branches on the island but the easiest one to find is at the beachfront in D’Mall Boracay. Popular merchandise shops like Fiesta Souvenirs Boracay and Island Souvenirs also carry souvenir shirts and other take-home gifts or pasalubong items from Boracay.

Every Monday, music lovers can join Rock Monday from 5:00 PM to 10:00 PM at Seb’varia. Located in Bulabog, it is one of many sports bars in Boracay. Guests can drink and eat while listening to rock music at the weekly event. DJ Schatz from Germany will play music at the bar. Seb’varia also hosts football night on Wednesdays and grill night on Saturdays.

Most days will be cloudy this week, but a little ray of sunshine can still be expected. There will be sunny skies with some clouds at the beginning of the week. This good weather is expected to last until Wednesday. Occasional rains can be expected from Thursday until Saturday, but it will be sunny again on Sunday. Minimum temperature this week is 26°C, while maximum temperature is 30°C.

The local government unit of Malay, Aklan will conduct an inventory of business establishments in Boracay. This is to determine which ones are violating laws and regulations, especially environmental rules. The Department of Environment and Natural Resources will assist in doing the inventory.

Earlier, around 100 establishments were warned by the Department of Tourism for improper waste management. These recommendations are meant to help save Boracay, which has been bombarded with environmental issues. Environmental problems in the island are often blamed on its tourism industry.