As the public transportation in areas under the general community quarantine (GCQ) will be gradually opened starting on May 1, the Provincial Government of Palawan is now also preparing for the protocols needed in the resumption of inter-town travel.
“Ang inter-municipality [travel] ay kailangang strictly monitored kasi if we remember, na tayo po ay nasa panahon pa ngayon ng gyera ng COVID-19, hindi pa tapos. So, may mga restrictions pa. Ang kagandahan lang dito, as a general policy, allowed na ‘yung public transport,” according to Provincial Information Officer (PIO) Winston Arzaga when interviewed yesterday in “Chris ng Bayan,” an online radio magazine of Palawan Daily, the first of its kind in the Province of Palawan.
Arzaga pointed out that in the implementation of inter-municipal travel, the local government of barangays will play a big role because they are the ones who know the real situation of their area.
“Kasi sila ang nakakikilala sa mga kababayan nila. Kung ang kababayan nila ay medyo may history, may sintomas ay hindi makalalabas ‘yan,” he said.
He explained again that they will put guidelines for the inter-town travel, in accordance with the implementing guidelines to be issued by the national concerned agency on Monday, April 27 and through the proper coordination with the other municipal government units and the City Government of Puerto Princesa
“[Tatanungin natin ang mga uuwi kung] ano ba ang purpose mo sa pag-uwi sa isang bayan?….Hindi naman pupwede na uuwi sa isang lugar ay mayroong mga cases na may symptoms. So, how do you handle it,” he further stated.
One of their major considerations also is how much would be the cost of fare for each commuter, given the fact the allowable passengers has been reduced. In line with this, PIO Arzaga added that Gov. Jose Alvarez expressed his willingness to talk to the transport operators to have a win-win solution.
“Sa pananaw po ni Gov. Alvarez, bago po ang May 1 ay dapat magkaroon agad ng pag-uusap, unang-una ‘yung Department of Transportations mailabas na ang guidelines, then makausap ‘yung sa transport sector—hanggang saan sila pwedeng mag-charge ng pamasahe? Kasi kung sa sobrang taas, that may also defeat the purpose, upon pag-uwi mo, deplete na [ang budget] dahil sa pamasahe,” Arzaga said.
As of press time, the Provincial Government said that they cannot commit yet if they can subsidize the fare for the stranded passengers because they do not have yet the exact numbers of passengers and if there is an enough budget.
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