eFoil regulations & spots in Philippines

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), under the Department of Transportation, regulates pleasure and tourism craft through Memorandum Circular DS-2019-01 (issued 23 May 2019, in force from June 2019), the rules on registration, licensing and operation of recreational boats. A recreational boat is a vessel of up to 46 m and 10 tons capacity used exclusively for recreation or tourism, privately or commercially, and MARINA's list of recreational boat types expressly includes personal water craft such as jet skis. eFoils and electric surfboards are not mentioned; if MARINA classes a motorised foil board as a personal water craft the circular applies, and no published position either way could be found.

Under MC DS-2019-01, recreational boats are entered in the Registry of Recreational Boats and receive a Certificate of Ownership and a Recreational Boat Certificate valid for five years, renewable before expiry. Filipino citizens and domestic partnerships or corporations may register for private or commercial use; foreign nationals and foreign-owned companies may register for private use only. The circular also provides for operator competency, safety equipment and designated operating areas, but the specific age, life-jacket and licence provisions could not be verified from the circular text and are therefore not stated here. No eFoil-specific licence, age or insurance rule exists.

On Boracay, the rules introduced with the 2018 closure and rehabilitation, enforced by the Boracay Inter-Agency Task Force and the Municipality of Malay, allow water sports only in the correct designated zones and keep the White Beach swimming front clear of motorised activity; commercial jet-ski and eFoil operators work from designated water-sports areas rather than the beachfront. Other resort areas such as Mactan (Cebu), Palawan and Siargao are governed by local government ordinances and the Philippine Coast Guard's port and beach management, so zones and swimming areas differ from place to place.

Enforcement is by MARINA regional offices, the Philippine Coast Guard and, on Boracay, the BIATF and municipal police; penalty figures for operating an unregistered recreational boat were not found in accessible sources. The workable approach for visitors is to ride with a licensed operator inside its zone. Residents importing a personal board should ask the MARINA regional office whether it will register the board as a personal water craft, and check the local ordinance for the beach they plan to use.