This Week in Central Luzon (July 4 to 10, 2020)

President Rodrigo Duterte addressed the nation last June 30, 2020 and announced the updated community guidelines for July. Pampanga and Subic are both placed under modified general community quarantine. Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chairman and Administrator Wilma Eisma announced that the gates of Subic will be open to everyone except for those coming from areas under modified enhanced community quarantine or MECQ and enhanced community quarantine or ECQ. Curfew hours in Subic will be from 10:00 PM to 5:00 AM. [1, 2, & 3]

Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority Chairman and Administrator Wilma Eisma has released taxi fare rates and safety protocols inside Subic Bay Freeport Zone. Regular fares will start at PhP50 and add pick-up charge will start at PhP30. Below are the guidelines on public transportation services:

1. Only SBMA-accredited taxis and company shuttles are allowed to transport passengers inside the Subic Bay Freeport Zone.

2. All passengers should be point-to-point only; pick-up along the way is not allowed.

3. Disinfection of vehicles should be done after each and every trip.

4. Taxi and shuttle passengers should be checked for COVID-19 symptoms before riding.

5. Fare bookings (sundo) is only allowed for Subic Bay Freeport Zone housing residents. Multiple bookings/share-a-ride is not allowed.

6. Passenger distancing should be observed.

For the complete list of taxi fare rates, visit SBMA Chairman and Administrator’s Official Facebook Page. [4]

Clark International Airport has just released guidelines for domestic departures and arrivals. Passengers are advised to check the local travel guidelines for additional requirements to make sure they have all the necessary documents. The guidelines focused on departing passengers, specifically locally stranded individuals, business travelers, and returning Overseas Filipino Workers or OFWs, and they also include protocols for arriving passengers and safety measures that must be observed when inside the airport. To get the complete details and information on the guidelines of the airport, visit Clark International Airport’s Official Facebook page. [5]

Last Friday, June 19, 2020, Subic Bay Freeport Zone finally opened its molecular laboratory. A joint project between the Philippine Red Cross and Subic Bay Metropolitan Authority, the lab is capable of doing 2,000 polymerase chain reaction tests daily. Bases Conversion and Development Authority president and CEO Vince Dizon said that the employees of SBMA must first be tested, followed by the locators then residents of Olongapo, Zambales, and Bataan. SBMA Chairman Wilme Eisma said that SBMA will assign up to 15 swabbers in the lab to accommodate samples from nearby communities and provinces. [6]

Go to Yoorekka for more COVID-19 updates in Central Luzon.