DILG to look into alleged ‘overpriced’ Boracay IDs

MANILA, Philippines (UPDATED April 24, 2018; 3:32 p.m.)— The Department of Interior and Local Government said the agency will verify reports of Boracay identification cards allegedly being sold to non-residents at steep prices, an official said Monday.

Chief Superintendent Cesar Binag, director of Police Regional Office 6, said that based on their intel reports, non-residents should only be paying P150 for a barangay clearance, which is issued by barangay captains, another P50 for a community tax certificate or cedula, and P300 for a barangay ID.

“The total payment of the ID is P500 and not P1,000, for your information,” Binag said in a press briefing.

Binag made the clarification after Sen. Panfilo "Ping" Lacson accused village officials in Boracay of extortion by using the overpriced ID system.

The senator alleged the barangay officials are taking advantage of President Rodrigo Duterte’s order to ban tourists and non-residents in Boracay and have resorted to scamming to give others access to the island. The island will be temporarily closed for six months starting April 26.

“Ang laki ng hinihingi roon, P400,000 para mabigyan ng ID ang kanyang empleyado. Ang empleyado niya kasi naka-stay-in doon na may quarters doon,” Lacson was quoted as saying in a radio interview.

“Ito ang hinahanapbuhay ng barangay officials doon, kagawad na nagpaparating ng ganoong mensahe, na lalakarin ang ID ng empleyado di ko alam ilan, siguro marami-rami rin ,” he added.

The end of the day will soon be upon beautiful Boracay. As I took this photo last week, I was told that unscrupulous barangay officials have started to demand hefty sums in exchange for issuing ID’s to non residents. Nothing could be uglier. pic.twitter.com/0TD3i3fqMF

— PING LACSON (@iampinglacson) April 18, 2018

DILG for its part said they would look into the overpriced IDs citing that DILG chief Eduardo Año found the P500 fee still high for an ID.

“There is an instruction to verify it further,” DILG Assistant Secretary Manuel Felix said, adding that the agency would ask the issuing personality about the rate.

Port administrator Nieven Maquirang said that, during the island shutdown, workers would be given a terminal pass which costs P100, based on the ordinance. He said the governor would be shouldering the cost.

Maquirang explained that residents need not secure any ID as they only have to show their ID that indicates their address on Boracay.