GUIMARAS – After two years since the pandemic, the local government unit of Jordan will open the ‘Balaan Bukid’ located in Barangay Balcon Melliza for Guimarasnon this holy week.
This is based on executive order number 15 issued by Mayor Ruben Corpuz of the city of Jordan last Tuesday, April 5 An executive order imposing guidelines in the reopening of ‘Balaan Bukid’, Baclon Melliza, Jordan, Guimaras.
Corpuz’s executive order placed ‘Balaan Bukid’ open to Guimarasnons from April 11 to April 17.
But non-residents of Guimaras like residents from neighboring provinces around Region 6 and even tourists from other parts of the country are not allowed or not allowed to visit Balaan Bukid.
Here are the guidelines for opening the Holy Mountain.
* Balaan Bukid, Brgy. Balcon Melliza, Jordan, and Guimaras shall be open to all residents of the province of Guimaras. Residents from neighboring provinces, tourists, and pilgrims from outside of the province are not allowed to enter.
* The COVID-19 Task Force together with Brgy. Hoskyn Tanods, Brgy. Melliza Tanods, PNP, BFP, Navy Reserve, Army Reserve, Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction Council, and the Municipal Tourism Council shall be in charge of crowd control and imposition of minimum public health standards.
According to Corpuz that “the Ang Pagtaltal sa Balaan Bukid has been postponed for the past two years due to the COVID-19 pandemic temporarily closing the Balaan Bukid during the Lenten Season thus, pilgrims have been preparing for its reopening.”
Corpuz added that “the declaration of the IATF putting the province of Guimaras under Alert Level 1 is not an assurance that COVID-19 may not re-emerge, thus there is a need to impose guidelines in the reopening of Balaan Bukid during the Lenten Season 2022 to ensure that there will be no COVID-19 surge. “
To recall, Gov. issued an executive order at that time. Samuel T. Gumarin said that starting March 1 the entire province will be under Alert Level 1 under the declaration of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases.
Under Gumarin’s executive order “It dictates that unvaccinated individuals are still prohibited to enter or exit Guimaras unless it is for medical reasons, those whose travels are for highly essential purposes and cases deemed meritorious by the Provincial Government of Guimaras. Individuals who are not vaccinated and intend to enter the island must present a negative RT-PCR result. The test must be conducted no later than three days before the date of travel. “/PN
