This Week in Palawan (June 22 to 28, 2020)

Palawan and Puerto Princesa City will remain under modified general community quarantine (MGCQ) from June 16 to 30. When it comes to quarantine restrictions, the local government of Puerto Princesa announced that they will not be releasing new guidelines other than the amended ordinance signed by Mayor Lucilo Bayron. According to the new ordinance, the start of the curfew is moved to 12:00 AM from the previous 10:00 PM. Senior citizens and individuals under 21 years old are still not allowed to go out.

Along with the relaxed curfew hours, the ordinance also allows public consumption of liquors in commercial establishments such as bars, restaurants, and hotels in Puerto Princesa. Drinking in beaches, however, is still prohibited. Meanwhile residents in the rest of Palawan are not allowed to drink liquor in public and commercial establishments [1].

The Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines (CAAP) announced the schedule and protocols of modified commercial flights as they approved the resumption of flight operations at the Puerto Princesa International Airport (PPIA) [2].

Cebu Pacific’s the initial schedule of flights began last June 15, and the airline will be conducting flights every Monday and Friday. Philippine Airlines and AirAsia have yet to announce their schedules, but they are expected to use the 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM slot. According to CAAP, each of the three airlines may schedule only one flight per day and they will be prioritizing inbound passengers.

The domestic flights will only cater to returning stranded Palawan residents, approved persons outside of residence (APOR), overseas Filipino workers (OFW), and individuals invited by the Palawan LGU [3]. Passengers who will avail the flights are reminded to coordinate with the city and provincial government since the airlines will be asking for requirements for travel before they can book the flight. CAAP-Puerto Princesa City spokesperson Madel Espartero also said that requirements for past sweeper flights will be the same for the modified commercial flights.

Safety measures will also be strictly enforced during and after the flights. Espartero said that airlines will only let passengers occupy a limited number of seats in order to observe social distancing. Passengers would also be subjected to mandatory testing and quarantine procedures before they return to their homes.

Authorities in Balabac remind the public that a health certificate is a requirement for those who are planning to travel to Bililuyan, Riotuba, or Puerto Princesa through ferry vessels. Inter-Agency Task Force Balabac Vice-Chairman Mitra Tanjilani said that the certificate can be obtained from the municipal health office. He also mentioned that the medical certificates are required since they can be used for contact tracing [4]. In addition, minimum health standards such as physical disrancing and mandatory wearing of face masks will also be implemented in departures.

The SM Store management released a statement regarding rumors that one employee in SM City Puerto Princesa tested positive for COVID-19. In their Facebook post last June 12, SM assured shoppers that they conducted voluntary rapid testing for all employees and agency frontliners. The mall didn’t receive reports from the Department of Health (DOH) regarding confirmed COVID-19 cases that are related to the alleged positive personnel. The management also asked consumers to avoid engaging in the circulating rumors in social media. Previously, DOH also said that rapid testing is not an accurate detector of COVID-19 and that only the RT-PCR laboratory testings can only provide highly accurate positive cases.

Last June 15, the Palawan Electric Cooperative (PALECO) launched a mobile collection program to let their customers pay their bills without going to payment centers. The schedule for the mobile collection will be posted at PALECO’s website. Three barangays will be visited per day from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. The mobile collection will consist of tellers who will handle receipts, bill inquiries, and complaints [6]. A member services department will also be present to provide information about fluctuations, brownouts, and new policies that will be implemented.

Go to Yoorekka for more COVID-19 updates in Palawan.