Bacolod City Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia signed Executive Order No. 3 that set aside the requirement of negative RT-PCR result for inbound travelers from Western Visayas and Negros Oriental only, effective Jan. 22.
The order that was made public this afternoon, Jan. 23, said that any person coming from towns and cities of Region 6 and Negros Oriental in Region 7 will no longer be required to present a negative Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction test result if they plan to travel to Bacolod City.
Emergency Operations Center executive director Em Ang said the decision is in answer to the many complaints of Bacolod inbound passengers about the hassle and high cost of undergoing a swab test.
She said the business community has also requested that since Bacolod and Iloilo are under the same alert level status, it would be best to allow the movement of passengers within the region.
Ang said the EOC recommendation on the lifting of the negative RT-PCR requirement was forwarded to the Office of Leonardia since last week, but the mayor wanted to study it further before he issued the corresponding EO.
“Effective immediately and until further advice, any person/individual entering the port/s of Bacolod City/area of the City’s jurisdiction from areas within Region 6 and Negros Oriental are no longer required to present their negative RT-PCR test results, such that their travel requirements are simplified,” Leonardia ordered in EO 3.
He added that these travelers will only need to present an online BaCTrac registration, vaccination card for those who had been fully vaccinated and/or have received a booster dose, and valid ID.
For those who remain unvaccinated, or have received only the first dose of a 2-dose vaccine series, they shall present at their ports of origin and destination a negative Rapid Antigen Test (RAT) result certified by a DOH-accredited laboratory that administered the RAT within 24 hours before boarding.
All government officials/public sector personnel on official business shall be allowed unimpeded travel into Bacolod City from any area regardless of the alert level status, provided that they comply with the vaccination mandate under the National IATF Resolution No. 148-B, series of 2021, present a valid ID issued by their respective government agency, vaccination card for those who had been fully vaccinated and negative RAT result for those who remain unvaccinated or have received only the first dose, original/certified true copy of their travel order/authority issued by the head of their agency or authorized superior, and must pass a symptom screening at the airport or seaport upon arrival.
The City Government may refuse the entry of any person for failure to comply with the travel requirements, those exhibiting any symptom/s of COVID-19 upon arrival, and/or those who refuse to follow the established testing and quarantine protocols, Leonardia added.
Meanwhile, Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry executive officer Frank Carbon said they welcomed the decision of Leonardia on the lifting of the RT-PCR requirement, and has informed colleagues in Iloilo.
He said his counterparts will coordinate with Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas to also request for the lifting of the RT-PCR requirement for travelers from Bacolod, so that fastcraft vessels can resume operations soon.
The fastcraft operators suspended trips starting the second week of January due to the low number of passengers following the negative RT-PCR requirement of both Bacolod and Iloilo, when the two cities were placed on Alert Level 3. | MML
