The easing of border controls in Mabinay and Vallehermoso towns in Negros Oriental will not assure commuters of convenience in their entry to the Occidental side, provincial information officer Bimbo Miraflor said.
Without securing the necessary documentary requirements for travel and following the minimum health protocols, travelers cannot cross the border, he said.
On Monday, Feb. 8, Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said that Negros Occidental is not easing border control with Negros Oriental despite opening up borders of municipalities of Vallehermoso and Mabinay to its neighbors in the other province.
“We will keep it, as it is right now,” Lacson said, stressing that the provincial government of Negros Oriental is also doing the same.
Miraflor, meanwhile said, that as far as the Negros Oriental provincial government is concerned, the executive order of Gov. Roel Degamo on border control is still in effect.
He said that Negros Occidental itself is also implementing strict border control, although Mabinay and Vallehermoso have already eased up theirs.
Vallehermoso is the last town of Negros Oriental in the north and shares boundaries with San Carlos City, Negros Occidental, while Mabinay is situated in central Negros, bounded by Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental in the west.
San Carlos City Mayor Renato Gustilo said that their border with Vallehermoso has been opened since last year.
Still, Gustilo said that residents of Vallehermoso coming and visiting malls in their city are being required to register as a requirement to get QR (Quick Response) codes.
Gustilo admitted that they cannot detect asymptomatic carriers even if they will impose border control, but they are addressing those tested positive of COVID-19 through contact tracing and isolation.
As of Feb. 9, San Carlos City reported that it has 23 active cases. – GB
