Negros Occidental Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson said today, February 15, that he is okay to the request to open the border between Kabankalan City in Negros Occidental and Mabinay in Negros Oriental.
San Carlos City’s border with Vallehermoso has been open for a couple of months already, Lacson pointed out.
He does not know if that has anything to do with San Carlos having the most number of COVID-19 active cases in Negros Occidental, Lacson said.
Lacson has an existing executive order stating that the borders between Negros Occidental Oriental should remain closed as a deterrent against the spread of COVID-19.
The governor said Kabankalan Mayor Pedro Zayco informed him of the request to allow Mabinay residents into Kabankalan City.
Mabinay has no active COVID-19 cases and its residents are highly dependent of Kabankalan City for their needs, the governor said.
Lacson said it is being requested that Mabinay resident be allowed into Kabankalan City only for 24-hour visits for the purchase of essential goods, medical needs, and banking purposes.
Zayco said he will only open the Kabankalan border to Mabinay residents if granted permission by the governor, pointing out that there is an existing executive order that states that the borders between the two Negros provinces should remain closed.
The request is for the border to be opened purely for Mabinay residents, not to those from other parts of Negros Oriental, and for them to enter Kabankalan City only, Zayco said.
He said Kabankalan City is only 20 to 30 minutes away from Mabinay, so it is much nearer than Dumaguete City for its residents.
Mabinay residents go to Kabanklan for their banking, medical needs, the purchase of essential goods and the milling of their sugarcane, he said.
Opening the border to Mabinay residents will be good for Kabankalan’s economy, he said.
The Mabinay and Kabankalan council members met last week. It was agreed that a resolution passed by Mabinay requesting the opening of the borders will be echoed by the Kabanklaan Sangguninag Panlungsod and forwarded to the governor, Zayco said.
Mabinay residents entering Kabankalan will be required to have identification cards issued by their mayor’s office and their visits will be limited to 24 hours, if they exceed that they will be quarantined, Zayco said.
He said the situation in northern Negros Occidental is the same because Vallehermoso residents are dependent on commerce in San Carlos City.*