A video showing a foreign national supposedly letting a toddler poop near the shoreline at Boracay Station 1 went viral on social media. Another woman was seen in the video burying the child's soiled underwear in the sand, The Philippine Star reported.
A section of Boracay’s shoreline has been shut since Wednesday for a clean-up operation that could stretch to 72 hours after a tourist had supposedly let her child defecate in its waters, tourism chief Bernadette Romulo-Puyat said.
The section of the beach has been isolated for the clean-up “with markers 100m wide on the shoreline indicating 'No swimming, this area is under clean up' for a period of 48 to 72 hours”, Ms Puyat said.
A video showing a foreign national supposedly letting a toddler poop near the shoreline at Boracay Station 1 went viral on social media. Another woman was seen in the video burying the child's soiled underwear in the sand, The Philippine Star reported.
The popular tourist island is governed by the Aklan province town of Malay, whose "Anti-Littering" ordinance prohibits defecating, urinating, spitting, vandalising and dumping trash in public places.
Ms Puyat vowed that the tourism agency would intensify its drive to inform tourists of "travel etiquette" when visiting the country.
"We will continue to coordinate with the tour operators and travel agencies in informing our tourists of the proper travel etiquette when visiting the Philippines and the corresponding fines and punishments if these are not followed," she said.
Boracay reopened in October 2018 after a six-month shut down for rehabilitation and environmental restoration.