CEBU – Governor Gwendolyn Garcia has signed an executive order simplifying guidelines for people travelling to the province.
Under Garcia’s Executive Order No. 9, which took
effect on February 9, all persons who want to travel here will no longer have
to go through the mandatory testing and quarantine. And letters of acceptance
from the local government of destination are not required anymore.
However, the order, Garcia said does not apply to overseas
Filipino workers and returning overseas Filipinos arriving in the province as
they are subject to different regulations set by the Inter-Agency Task Force
for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), and other executive
orders.
And Authorized Persons Outside of Residences
(APORs) need only to present identification documents, authority to travel
signed by their officials, and follow minimum health standards.
Non-APORs will only have to present a valid medical
certificate to enter Cebu, but both APOR and non-APOR have to submit themselves
for check-up for any Covid-19 symptoms and screening at the point of departure
and at the point of arrival.
The order also enjoined local governments to follow
suit so as not to confuse the public, but if it chooses to issue its own
regulations, it has to be submitted to Garcia for approval.
Garcia issued the order following reports reaching
her that travellers who enter the province, particularly Cebuanos, were
subjected to stringent interviews and long queues. She pointed out that other
government officials and agencies seem to think that they are still dealing
with locally stranded individuals (LSI).
“Wala namay LSI. Dugay naman tang nag-ease sa atong
restrictions, August pa,” she told top provincial and regional officials of the
Department of the Interior and Local Government, and the Department of Health,
Department of Trade and Industry, and the Integrated Provincial Health Office
in a meeting prior to the issuance of the order.
Since August last year, Cebu is placed under
Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ).
On January 21, the IAT-MEID amended the Omnibus
Guidelines for the implementation of community quarantine in the country. Quoting
the amended guidelines, Garcia questioned the enforcement of strict measures
when the IATF-MEID has eased up its rules.
She said Cebuanos go through unnecessary trouble
because of these measures, slowing down the efforts of the province in reviving
the economy. The governor also underscored the seeming different
treatments of APORs and non-APORs. “What makes APORs special compared to
non-APORs? Why do we make life difficult for these people (non-APORs) who only
eke out a living,” she asked.
Municipal officials and tourism operators and the business sector strongly support Garcia’s order. (Vanessa L. Almeda)
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