(UPDATED) THE Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) will issue a warning to Malay, Aklan for supposedly exceeding the carrying capacity of Boracay Island during the Holy Week, Tourism Secretary Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said Tuesday, April 19, 2022.Puyat said they have set a 19,000 carrying capacity limit in Boracay due to the coronavirus disease (Covdi-19) pandemic but around 21,000 to 22,000 were recorded to have visited the island during the Holy Week.“Nakausap ko na si (DILG) Secretary (Eduardo) Año at mag-i-issue na siya ng warning (I already talked to Secretary Año and he will issue a warning),” she said.Aside from the DILG, the Department of Tourism (DOT) also urged the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) to take appropriate measures on the matter.In response, Malay acting Mayor Floribar Bautista said they expected voluminous visitors during the Holy Week but they no longer noticed that it has already exceeded the limit.”Well i-explain namin ‘yan. Normal naman ‘yan kasi alam mo for almost two years kasi, ang Boracay talagang nahirapan. Walang halos bisita,” he said.(We will explain that, which is normal because for almost two years, Boracay has suffered due to lack of tourists.)In a press conference, acting presidential spokesperson Martin Andanar said the Malacañang welcomes the continuous increase of both domestic and local tourists, which will help the industry recover following a two-year drought due to the Covid-19 pandemic.He reminded though that the pandemic is not over yet and that the public should continue to adhere to minimum public health standards, especially the wearing of face masks, frequent disinfection of hands, and avoiding mass gatherings to prevent Covid-19 case resurgence.He also reminded the local government to implement protocols against Covid-19. (SunStar Philippines)