Fast crafts set to resume operations but…

By Dolly Yasa

 

BACOLOD City – Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry executive officer Frank Carbon said that fast craft operations between Bacolod and Iloilo is set to resume by month’s end but there are still conditions that have to be met and issues to be threshed out.

Carbon, who is an adviser of a fast craft company here, told Daily Guardian that both Weesam and Ocean Jet are scheduled to resume operation on October 31, 2020 while Supercat/2Go opted to restart plying the Bacolod-Iloilo (vice-versa) route on Nov 1, 2020.

Carbon said this was decided in a meeting between Maritime Industry Authority, Coast Guard officials and shipping companies Friday.

Carbon said the first condition was for the fast craft companies to review their papers.

He said that the fast craft last operated in July and it has been three months that there was no travel operation between Bacolod and Iloilo.

“We have to see to it that the papers are in order, like the permits and clearances from concerned government agencies if they are still in effect,” Carbon said.

The second issue is for them to come up with the schedule which will be subject to the approval of shipping industry authorities.

Carbon said that before, fast crafts used to have a total of 19 trips a day, which is no longer viable because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the quarantine status restrictions.

“We have to decide on the schedule, and have it approved by the MARINA,” he said.

The third issue is for Bacolod City Mayor Evelio Leonardia to remove the leisure travel restrictions in his recently issued Executive Order placing the city under a General Community Quarantine status.

Carbon said Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson and Iloilo CIty Mayor Jerry Trenas has allowed leisure travel and as a complementary move, Leonardia should also do the same,

The EO mandated that fast crafts can only ferry 50 percent of their capacity, and only half of that capacity is for leisure travelers.

If the restrictions on leisure travel is maintained, Carbon said that would only mean 25 percent of passengers will be moving about.

“If that is the case, we may opt not to operate as what we will earn will not be enough to spend for the gasoline as well as salary of the crew,” he added.