PCG steps up patrol after illegal entry of Negrense returnees from Cebu

By Glazyl Y. Masculino

BACOLOD City – The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Negros Occidental intensified its maritime and shoreline patrol in all major ports of the province following the illegal entry of Negrense returnees from Cebu on Wednesday.

The ports are located in the cities of San Carlos, Escalante, Sagay, and Cadiz, and Pulupandan town.

On June 17, four persons (aged 19, 20, 25, and 36 and residents of Calatrava town) returned here on board a boat from Balamban, Cebu, which is considered a hotspot for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).

Commander Jansen Benjamin, head of PCG-Negros Occidental, said the Negrense returnees were intercepted in a beach resort at Barangay San Isidro, Calatrava around 4 p.m. Wednesday.

They were immediately brought to a quarantine facility in the town.

However, the boat captain managed to escape and was later arrested in Cebu.

Benjamin said that the boat captain alleged that he was ordered by a barangay official in Cebu to send his four relatives to Calatrava town that day.

To prevent the recurrence of the incident, Benjamin said they deployed four Coast Guard personnel in the town and provided a rubber boat for monitoring and other seaborne operations.

Benjamin said that they also strengthened close coordination with Bantay Dagat and the coastal communities, as they are the ones who would know unfamiliar faces in the area.

He urged them to immediately report any incident to the nearest PCG.