EXCLUSIVE: Siquijor beach resort gets flak for allegedly banning non-guest beachgoers

Coco Grove clarifies it is only restricting access to the pathway, not the actual beach.

Coco Grove Beach Resort in Siquijor is facing backlash after a visitor claimed they were turned away from a shoreline they believed should be open to the public. The resort has since clarified that it is not barring anyone from the beach itself, but is restricting access through its property.

A tourist alleged the resort barred their entry to the beach since it was supposedly “for in-house guests only,” according to a TikTok video they posted recently.

“If you’ve been here, you would know na the moment you step foot beyond this make-believe boundary they’ve set up, may lalapit na guard sayo para pabalikin ka sa kabilang side,” the uploader said in the post caption.

Locals allegedly tried reporting the establishment to authorities but were told nothing could be done since it was a high-end resort, according to the uploader. The uploader said they had also filed a report about the resort through the government’s Citizen Complaint Center.

The video only mentioned that the resort was in Siquijor. However, netizens reportedly identified the location as Coco Grove Beach Resort, with some claiming they had also been turned away from the adjacent beach.

The luxury resort is situated along Tubod Beach in San Juan, Siquijor, and sits beside the publicly accessible Tubod Marine Sanctuary.

In a statement shared exclusively with radar Business, Coco Grove Beach Resort clarified that it was merely restricting access to the beach pathway and not the actual beach. The establishment acknowledged that the beach is public property.

“Visitors who wish to access the public beach should use the designated entrance of the Tubod Marine Sanctuary. The entrance is located in the middle portion between the Coco Grove properties, and this particular area is not owned by Coco Grove,” the statement read.

The pathway leading to the beach from inside the resort passes through guest accommodations, the representative said.

“Our intention is simply to ensure that visitors use the proper designated access point rather than passing through our guest areas, as we have in-house guests whose privacy, comfort, and security we need to respect,” they added.

Guest reviews of Coco Grove Beach Resort from 2015, 2017, 2018, and 2022 detail a fee being charged for non-guests to access the beach area adjacent to the resort. It is unclear if the resort still permits paid public access through its premises.

The Water Code of the Philippines requires that 20 meters from the shoreline of seas and lakes in agricultural areas should be reserved for public use, barring any private structures or ownership claims within the designated easement.

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