ILOILO City – Another week of suspension of flights and sea trips from the National Capital Region (NCR) and provinces adjacent to it is being sought by local chief executives in Western Visayas.
“Tama pa gid ka delikado for us. Critical ang situation in these areas,” said Iloilo’s Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr., citing the new variants of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) there.
“Gina depensahan lang naton nga ang kapamilya naton diri indi masudlan sang new variants kay it’s very contagious,” said the governor.
Mayor Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City will send a letter of request on behalf of all LCEs in Western Visayas to vaccine czar Secretary Carlito Galvez and Department of Interior and Local Government undersecretary Epimaco Densing III.
The proposed extension was agreed upon by the region’s LCEs – composed of the governors of Iloilo, Antique, Aklan, Capiz, Guimaras, and Negros s Occidental and mayors of two highly urbanized cities (Bacolod and Iloilo) – in a virtual meeting yesterday.
The flight moratorium, originally from April 4 to 10, is pursuant to the national Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases Resolution No. 108 imposing a temporary ban on inbound travel to Western Visayas from NCR and the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Laguna, and Rizal, and the cities of Cebu and Davao.
The travel ban covers all returning residents, authorized persons outside residence (APOR), and non-essential travelers into Western Visayas.
Overseas Filipino workers, however, are allowed to enter the region.
“These OFWs wala man sang istaran sa Metro Manila kag ginapaidalom man sila sa reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test,” Defensor said.
Meanwhile, Bacolod City’s Mayor Evelio Leonardia reiterated that the move aims to safeguard Western Visayans.
Leonardia stressed the possibility of a more virulent COVID-19 variant spreading to the region.
“Before, only two to three household members will turn positive. Now, one COVID positive individual can almost simultaneously infect the whole household, like up to six to 10 members in some cases we know,” he said.
“This is more reason to be more careful,” he added.
Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center executive director and City Administrator Em Ang, who joined the dialog, said her city already sent specimen samples to the Philippine Genome Center of the University of the Philippines for genome sequencing.
Genome sequencing is a technique that allows researchers to decipher the genetic information found in the DNA and will provide scientific proof whether the new COVID variants are now in a certain area.
Meanwhile, during the virtual meeting, the LCEs tackled common policies in the region should flights or sea travel resume after the travel moratorium expires, as originally set or as extended.(with Bacolod PIO/PN)
