‘CLOSING TIME’: Iloilo City, province impose border restrictions

By Joseph B.A. Marzan and Felipe V. Celino

The city and province of Iloilo will restrict all non-essential travel from the rest of Panay Island and the country amid the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ),

Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas first confirmed the border restrictions in a radio interview, citing the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.

Treñas said he had spoken to Governors Arthur Defensor Jr. (Iloilo province), Esteban Evan Contreras (Capiz), and Florencio Miraflores Jr. (Aklan), to establish the border controls in their areas.

He added that Guimaras would be an exception because many of their residents work in the city.

“I have talked to Governors Defensor, Miraflores, and Contreras so we can establish the [border restrictions], so we can also fix the situation here. We will have to close our borders, even travels from [the National Capital Region] and Cebu, and we really have to do what we can,” Treñas explained in a radio interview.

Defensor also confirmed in a media briefing that he had met with Treñas and Contreras, adding that he would issue an Executive Order implementing border restrictions from all places, except for returning residents and Authorized Persons Outside of their Residences (APOR).

He did not mention as to when would his EO be issued or become effective, but only stated that it would be “at the soonest possible time”.

“At this time, I met with [Treñas and Contreras], and we agreed that if we were to escalate restrictions, that would be only for non-essential travel. We will continue to receive returning residents from other countries and other parts of the country. We would only restrict those who are not from Iloilo who are coming here, except for those who are considered as APORs,” Defensor said.

Police Col. Gilbert Gorero, Iloilo police director, told Daily Guardian that they are on standby for further instructions from the Capitol regarding the border control checkpoints.

Gorero said local governments have the leeway to impose checkpoints and the police will be ready to help.

“It’s up to the provincial, municipal, and city governments if they will impose checkpoints and ask our help. We are on standby,” he added.

 

ILOILO CITY

As of this writing, only Treñas has issued an EO to effect border restrictions into the city, EO No. 68, series of 2021, which would prohibit all non-residents of the city until July 31, 2021, except for the following purposes:

-Work;

-Medical needs;

-Accessing government services;

-Transport of goods and other construction materials;

-Humanitarian purposes;

-Receiving the first or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine;

-Returning Overseas Filipino workers or returning Iloilo City residents;

-APORs;

-Residents of Iloilo province; and

-Residents of Guimaras.

Persons not falling under these exemptions would have to present their valid ID together with the following requirements:

-Proof of affiliation or valid professional identification card, and certificate of employment, travel pass, or certification issued by their human resources offices or managers (for health and emergency frontline services personnel, health department officials, Red Cross personnel, and World Health Organization personnel);

-Certificate of employment, travel pass, or certification issued by their human resources offices or managers (for private sector APORs working on-site in either the city or province of Iloilo, and Business Process Outsourcing and export-oriented business personnel);

-Travel Pass from Barangay of residence indicating the destination and purpose of travel, as well as dates of travel (for Persons engaged in businesses operating in the city or province of Iloilo, and other APORs doing business in other livelihood sectors);

-Confirmed airline ticket (for persons going to the airport)

-Vaccination ticket or vaccination card (for those receiving their COVID-19 vaccine);

-Up-to-date medical certificate, proof of appointment with government offices, proof of affiliation, and any relevant proof to justify purpose of travel (for persons traveling for medical and humanitarian purposes, authorized humanitarian assistance actors, and persons transporting medical supplies and laboratory specimens related to COVID-19); and

-Certificate of Residency from their barangay (for returning residents and residents of Iloilo province and Guimaras).

Returning Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) would have to subject themselves to mandatory quarantine at the accredited quarantine hotels or the city’s designated quarantine facilities, and undergo Reverse Transcription-Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing on the 4th day.

OFWs who are negative for COVID-19 would be given clearance from quarantine, while those who are positive will be subject to further instructions from relevant authorities.

APORs travelling from Negros will still be allowed ingress and egress to and from the city, while non-APORs would have to comply with the national government’s Safe, Swift, and Smart Passage System (S-PaSS) and a negative RT-PCR test result.

APORs coming from other areas of the country must also comply with the S-PaSS.

 

CAPIZ

The province of Capiz also implemented stricter border control checkpoints in some boundary areas of the province effective Monday.

The checkpoints are based on the Executive Order No. 22-C series of 2021 issued by Capiz Governor Esteban Evan Contreras, according to Capiz Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) head Judy Grace Pelaez.

Pelaez said the checkpoints are manned by personnel from the Philippines National Police (PNP), Armed Forces of the Philippine (AFP), Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) and other emergency personnel from local government.

The border checkpoint areas are located at the boundaries of Dumarao-Passi, Pilar-Balasan and Sapian-Aklan.

Secondary checkpoints are situated in the towns of Maayon, Jamindan and Tapaz.

Pelaez said those who will be allowed into Capiz are essential travellers with important transactions, those seeking medication, and Authorized Person Outside Residence (APOR) with corresponding identification card (ID) and pertinent papers or documents.

The checkpoints would also limit the movement of people from areas like the province and city of Iloilo that are presently under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) from July 16 to 31.