Boracay is a popular tourist destination in the Philippines known for its white-sand beaches and reputation as a party island. While the scene has since toned down, it looks like some days can still be pretty wild. Like on Thursday, January 30, when an Australian man and a British woman were arrested for having sex in public on the island’s Bulabog Beach, according to local reports.
The tourists, both 26 years old, were reportedly getting it on in the afternoon — a busy time for the island — so many locals, including children, saw them in action.
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At around 5:45 p.m., the Boracay police station received a call reporting the couple and in a few minutes, the cops arrived at the scene. Although they stood over the couple and reprimanded them, it was not enough to stop the heated session.
According to Police Corporal Joel Banga-ora, the couple was so intoxicated that despite being dragged and handcuffed, they still couldn’t keep their hands off each other. This continued in the back of the police truck until they were brought to the police station.
“They were not embarrassed that everybody could see their bodies. The woman’s breasts were fully exposed and the man’s penis was visible. They were so engrossed in each other they did not know what was happening around them,” Banga-ora told Tempo.
“Our team also took a photo of the man where you could see his penis, and the woman was on her knees, and they were having sex.” Lt. Col. Jonathan Pablito, Chief of the island police, told ABS-CBN News.
The pair was detained at the Malay Municipal Police Station and later charged at the Aklan Prosecutor’s Office with grave scandal and disobedience to persons in authority after the man allegedly tried to run away from the cops before he was arrested. They posted bail of PHP9,000 (US$176) and were released on the same day. Their trial has been scheduled for this month but the exact date is not yet known.
The couple has left Boracay and flew to Cebu City. Banga-ora said that if the two don’t show up for trial, they will be banned from travelling to the Philippines.
This isn’t the first time tourists were caught for indecent behaviour in Boracay. It happens so often that authorities regularly appeal to tourists to respect the island’s traditions. In September 2019, a Colombian man was arrested for urinating on the beach. In November of the same year, a man was arrested for flashing his private parts to tourists.
As of writing, the conversion rate is PHP1.00 = $0.02.
