Tourism Secretary Christina Garcia Frasco referred to the establishment of the Hyperbaric Chamber Center in Boracay as a significant step in enhancing the safety and overall experience for tourists, especially divers.
“Just to give you a little background and context of how this all came to be, noong pumunta ako sa Boracay at nakinig sa mga stakeholders natin dito. Isa sa mga concerns nila is really tourist safety and tourist comfort and convenience,” Frasco said.
“Kaya naman po noong sinabi ng ating mga stakeholders na isa sa hiling nila is really to have a hyperbaric chamber for our dive safety program dito sa Boracay, agad agad. Pinatawagan po namin ‘yung ating TIEZA, which is very supportive of the DOT’s tourism programs, and we immediately facilitated the process to procure your hyperbaric chamber,” the tourism chief added.
“The hyperbaric chamber center is part of the DOT’s “broader initiative in collaboration with the TIEZA, as it sought to vastly increase the quality of tourism infrastructure all over the Philippines.”
“Sa tingin ko, ‘yung suporta na binibigay natin sa turismo, it’s also not enough to just say that we will continue to promote the island, we have to improve the developmental pillars of the island to succeed not just in the short term, but also in the long term. The provision of safety measures for our tourists is a basic need, and therefore, it has to be addressed,” the tourism head stressed, noting that the hyperbaric chamber center is part of the DOT’s “broader initiative in collaboration with the TIEZA, as it sought to vastly increase the quality of tourism infrastructure all over the Philippines.”
In his message at the program, Municipality of Malay Mayor Frolibar Bautista emphasized the importance of the construction of the hyperbaric chamber center in Boracay.
“Thank you very much, Ma’am Secretary, dahil sinama n’yo ang Boracay as dive destination sa Pilipinas, kasi first time namin. I thank you very much for really pushing it, na mayroon tayo dito. So ‘yan lang ang masasabi ko, na it really helps a lot [for] the island kasi wala talaga kami, Ma’am, ditong other industry except tourism. Napakahirap namin nang two years na [COVID] na ‘yon. So, ‘yun lang, na sana makabawi man kami,” Bautista said, sharing the LGU’s plans to further attract not only millennials, but also tourists from the older age groups, particularly those that are over 60 years old and above.
“So sana, this will help us for the promotion of tourism, madagdagan pa, na ‘yong target namin dito, not only the divers but including itong 60 above ng mga citizens natin not only in the Philippines but in the whole world,” the Mayor added.
Aklan’s governor also expressed gratitude to Frasco.
‘Yung kailangan namin sa island, the medical and the wellness tourism for other tourists, especially international tourists that’s coming here in our country.”
“I’m very happy that we have already inaugurated this hyperbaric chamber in the island. When I first heard your speech, Ma’am, I think that was last year, you mentioned Boracay as a recipient of the hyperbaric chamber, we were very excited that the wellness side of the island can be jumpstarted already. I think what the mayor said earlier, ‘yun din ‘yung kailangan namin sa island, the medical and the wellness tourism for other tourists, especially international tourists that’s coming here in our country. So that’s one big help [of] our country with these kind of facilities na ma-set up natin sa iba’t ibang parte ng Pilipinas. With that vision of yours, Ma’am Secretary, malaki at malawak ‘yong mapupuntahan ng wellness tourism natin dito sa Pilipinas,” Aklan Governor Jose Enrique Miraflores said.
“And our hopes also is to promote Boracay, especially to the international tourists. Kasi sa figures po natin, 80 percent of the tourists coming here are still local tourists. Kami ni Mayor, ‘yon din ‘yong gusto namin na talaga mag-promote na the international tourists will… [ano lang, hindi naman ano,] para makabalik din dito, mabalik din yung sigla at kung ano ‘yong Boracay, pre-pandemic and pre-closure. We are here, all the stakeholders in the tourism industry are here na mapagpatuloy, mapag-usapan, kung ano pa ‘yong pwedeng gawin, paano pa yung mga improvement, and to strengthen the island of Boracay, especially the tourism industry [of the Philippines.] I think ‘yon talaga yung spark to support the programs of Secretary Frasco kung ano ‘yung pwede pa namin maitulong para mapalakas natin ang tourism industry not only in Boracay, but in our whole country,” the governor said, as he conveyed the Boracay stakeholders’ support to the DOT’s programs and projects under the leadership of Frasco.
To strengthen the dive tourism portfolio in the Philippines, Frasco, a certified diver herself, earlier announced the DOT’s plans to establish five hyperbaric chambers in key destinations, through its infrastructure arm, the Tourism Infrastructure and Enterprize Zone Authority (TIEZA), in addition to the 15 existing hyperbaric chambers across the country.
Other locations where the DOT and TIEZA will soon construct hyperbaric chambers include Camiguin, Cebu, Negros Oriental, and Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro.
