BY CHRYSEE G. SAMILLANO
Fully vaccinated travelers are no longer required to present a negative RT-PCR test result upon entering Bacolod City.
Bacolod Mayor Evelio Leonardia has issued Executive Order No. 49 ordering that all travelers bound for Bacolod City, whether coming in by land, sea, or air, including those from Panay Island and Guimaras, who are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 should no longer be required to present a negative RT-PCR test result.
In applying for their SPaSS Travel Coordination Permit and upon arrival at their point of entry into Bacolod City, fully vaccinated travelers are further required to show proof by presenting any one of the following: COVID-19 vaccination card or certificate duly issued by a legitimate vaccinating establishment/authority whether local or foreign; or certificate of quarantine completion showing the holder’s full vaccination status as issued by the Bureau of Quarantine, the order said.
However, for the in-bound non-residents of Bacolod City, in consonance with IATF regulations and considering the ongoing improvements on the system for verifying COVID-19 vaccination cards, COVID-19 vaccination cards duly issued by legitimate vaccination authorities such as the Department of Health, Department of Information and Communications Technology, and any qualified national or foreign government agency, will be sufficient proof of vaccination, it said.
For in-bound residents of Bacolod City, presentation of their vaccination cards duly issued by the Bacolod City Health authority may suffice in lieu of any of the afore-stated vaccination documentations, it added.
In applying for their SPaSS Travel Coordination Permit and upon arrival at their point of entry in Bacolod City, travelers who are not vaccinated against COVID-19 or those who do not strictly comply with the definition of a fully-vaccinated individual under aforementioned IATF Resolution No. 128, s. 2021, should still be required to present a negative RT-PCR test result obtained within 72 hours prior to arrival in Bacolod City, the order said.
City Executive Order No. 01, Series of 2021, dated January 04, 2021 entitled “An Order Establishing the Consolidated Guidelines for Travel into the City of Bacolod”, and City Executive Order No. 51, Series of 2020, dated August 01, 2020 entitled “An Order Imposing Requirements for Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APORs) Entering the City of Bacolod” as Amended by City Executive Order No. 51-A, S. 2020, will also remain in effect and shall, thus, be further observed, it added. The requirements in regard to Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) and Authorized Persons Outside Residence (APORs) shall be covered by Section 4 of the order and pursuant to the National IATF Resolution No. 101, Series of 2021, dated February 26.*
