Negros Occidental Police Suspends Travel Permit for NCR-bound LSIs

The Negros Occidental Police Provincial Office (NOCPPO) stopped issuing travel authority (TA) for locally stranded individuals (LSIs) bound for the National Capital Region and its four neighboring provinces, which were placed under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) starting August 4.

Maj. Edison Garcia, public information officer of NOCPPO, said yesterday they have suspended the releasing of permits to travel at the provincial police headquarters in Bacolod and in all the city and municipal stations in the province.

“The NOCPPO calls the attention of LSIs affected by this move to take necessary adjustments to avoid inconvenience,” he added.

Aside from Metro Manila, the provinces of Bulacan, Cavite, Rizal, and Laguna have also been placed under MECQ until August 18 to contain the further spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19).

Garcia, however, said still allowed to travel are authorized persons outside residence (APORs), essential workers of sectors permitted by the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) against Covid-19, persons on Indispensable Travel (IT), and outbound overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) returning to work.

Last Sunday, President Rodrigo Duterte approved the recommendation of his Cabinet to return to a more stringent quarantine status in Metro Manila in response to medical front-liners’ call for a “timeout” to prevent the collapse of the country’s healthcare system amid the prevailing health crisis.

Under the MECQ, public transportation, motorcycle back riding, domestic flights, and inter-island travel have been banned.
Movements are limited to accessing essential goods and services while mass gatherings are prohibited.

Only critical government services and authorized humanitarian activities are permitted.

Earlier, Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque said under MECQ, healthcare workers will get their much-needed break.