By Dolly Yasa
BACOLOD City – Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said that the land trips of Ceres Liner passenger buses managed by Vallacar Transit Inc. from Negros Occidental to neighboring provinces and islands, may resume this month if they can implement an executive order that requires negative COVID-19 test results, among others, from its passengers.
“They have to convince us that they can actually monitor the passengers that they are ferrying,” Lacson said.
The governor also said that he will not allow airlines, shipping, and land transportation companies to become carriers of Covid-19 passengers.
“They will just have to assure us that they can manage this,” Lacson added.
EO 21-18 issued by Lacson implements National Inter Agency Task Force Resolution 101 that calls for uniform travel protocols for all local government units, with the inclusion of requiring travelers with negative RT-PCR test results issued 72 hours prior to their arrival in Negros.
Earlier, VTI requested an endorsement letter of support from Lacson for its application to the Land Transportation Franchising Regulatory Board for Special Permits to allow them to resume operations outside Negros Occidental.
Travelers are now allowed to enter the province as long as they have negative RT-PCR test results and have registered with the S-Pass and Stay Safe Phils app system for contact-tracing purposes.
VTI wants to resume trips from Bacolod City to Cebu, Dumaguete City, Canlaon City, Zamboanga and its new route, Sipalay City to Cebu.
“The burden is now with VTI to assure us that they can really manage, or can ensure that all their passengers are not carriers of Covid-19,” Lacson said.
He instructed Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz to meet again with representatives of VTI management.
It was agreed during an initial meeting between Diaz and VTI management representatives that there will be no pick-up or unloading of passengers along the way, and that boarding and unloading of passengers should be at the designated bus terminals.
Diaz said capitol health personnel will also be deployed to two VTI bus terminals in Bacolod City to ensure compliance with requirements set for passengers by the provincial government of Negros Occidental.
