Eased Cebu province-Cebu City border control begins June 3

Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia inspects the checkpoint located at the border of Mandaue and Cebu cities in this March 2020 photo. | CDND File Photo

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Those who are residing in Cebu province but are working in Cebu City may already report to work and return to their homes with less hassle beginning on Wednesday, June 3, 2020.

In Executive Order no. 17-D, signed by Governor Gwendolyn Garcia Monday night, June 1, the Capitol has further eased its border control restriction with Cebu City to allow passage for workers who will be reporting back for work as the latter has also been under general community quarantine (GCQ) since Monday.

These workers will only need to present their company identification cards and a certificate of employment (COE) at the border checkpoints in Talisay City in the south, Mandaue City in the north, and Balamban in the west, to get through.

In Talisay City, the one entrance policy which allowed entry into the southern part of the province via the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) has also been lifted.

Effective at dawn this Tuesday, June 2, the border of Cebu City and Talisay City at the Natalio Bacalso Avenue border in Barangay Bulacao has been reopened to the public.

Under the new executive order, here is the list of people who are now allowed to enter and exit Cebu province while the province is under general community quarantine:

• Health and emergency personnel (ID showing proof of occupation)
• Government official and employees (ID from government office employed in)
• persons traveling for medical humanitarian reasons
• persons going to the airport and are allowed to travel abroad
• national government-facilitated repatriates
• Workers of industries allowed to operate
• Owners of businesses allowed to operate
• Other professionals in permitted profession (i.e. lawyers)

Persons traveling for medical and humanitarian reasons are still required to obtain a medical certificate and a travel pass from the local government unit where they reside.

Those who are allowed to travel through the airport will also have to present their confirmed airplane tickets at the checkpoints.

Despite the easing of the border controls, Garcia said leisure travels are still not permitted under the GCQ.

The province’s appeal to be reclassified to a more relaxed modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) is still pending before the national Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID). / dcb