Baguio border restrictions on despite Benguet’s opposition

BAGUIO CITY – Despite opposition from Benguet folks, officials and netizens, the city government imposed border restrictions in the towns of La Trinidad, Tuba, Tublay and Sablan effective Nov. 26 to Dec. 4.
    According to Mayor Benjamin Magalong, the restrictions were imposed to control the spread of Covid-19 after meeting with mayors of the four towns at the Convention Center on Nov. 25 at the Baguio Convention Center.
    They included mayors Romeo Salda of La Trinidad, Manuel B. Munar Jr. of Sablan, Victor Palangdan Jr. of Itogon and Clarita. P. Sal-ongan of Tuba.
    Baguio City Councilor Vladimir Cayabas said National Economic Development Authority Cordillera director Milagros Rimando and Baguio Vice Mayor Faustino Olowan attended the closed-door meeting wherein it was agreed only an ID and medical clearance are needed at border checkpoints.
    Members of media outfits were not allowed to cover the meeting but were given permission to interview the officials after the meeting.
    Magalong said after the meeting with BLISTT mayors they have arrived at an understanding on the border control issue.
    The mayor said they resolved to settle their differences and to regard the misunderstanding caused by the issue as a "lesson learned" so that henceforth local policies of such impact will be extensively discussed and decided on collectively by the local chief executives themselves.
    Magalong’s advisory had created controversy among Baguio and Benguet officials who opposed border restrictions.
    Benguet provincial board members urged the Baguio City Government to recall Magalong's travel restriction order.
    In Resolution 2020-797, the 15 board members expressed support to the appeal of the people and officials of Benguet to recall the advisory of the City of Baguio on temporary restricting access between Baguio City and the Municipalities of La Trinidad, Tuba, Tublay, Sablan.
    Vice Gov. Johnny Waguis said the long cue of residents acquiring medical clearance were burdensome.
    The resolution added residents of the province experienced additional burden just to access medical and essential necessities, or to transact business in the city because of the need to take long queues during hot and at times rainy afternoon just to secure a medical clearance.
    "The province does not in any way oppose a ramped up Covid-19 testing as it is indeed a tool in the monitoring and assessment of the effectivity of current policies to fight the pandemic, however, policies such as the restricted access of residents of the municipalities of La Trinidad, Tuba, Tublay and Sablan to the city of Baguio must have scientific basis," the resolution read.
    In this case, the restricted entry must be based on data such as residents of the four Benguet towns area contributing to the spike of cases in Baguio.
    Due to the influx of applicants for medical certificate for travel to Baguio City at the Provincial Health Office in La Trinidad, the stakeholders were advised to go to private doctors and the Provincial Temporary Quarantine Facility in Barangay Wangal to claim medical certificates.
    The required document when entering Baguio City was deemed valid for five days from the date of issuance but following Magalong’s meeting with Benguet mayors, it was agreed medical clearance will be valid for duration of the border restriction.
    Travel restriction of Baguio City was issued last Nov. 19 and later amended with a medical certificate as a requirement effective Nov. 26 until Dec. 4, 2020.
    In the city advisory on temporary restricted access between Baguio and four Benguet towns, it stated that series of dialogues were held with the provincial government, together with the Office of the Civil Defense, Dept. of the Interior and Local Government and the Regional Task Force for Covid-19.
    It added the Baguio-La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay local chief executives and Gov. Melchor Diclas approved the arrangement of ramping up testing operations, ingress, egress of constituents of Baguio be temporarily restricted.
    The appeal of the Municipal Inter-Agency Task Force La Trinidad to retract the advisory was followed by the appeal of Diclas together with the four mayors of La Trinidad, Tuba, Tublay and Sablan and Benguet lawmaker Eric Go Yap.
Mayor Munar told newsmen there were no series of meetings before the issuance of the advisory of the city.
    Some Benguet officials said such dialogues did not happen. The La Trinidad Municipal Council also made a resolution opposing the border restriction.
    Despite these, Magalong said strict control measures being implemented at borders with the neighboring municipalities of La Trinidad, Tuba, Tublay and Sablan will scale up Covid-19 control measures including testing capacity and pinpointing at-risk sectors in these towns for better disease management.
    Magalong issued an advisory dated Nov.19 temporarily restricting the access in these towns for 14 days from Nov. 21 to Dec. 4. 
    After his meeting with Benguet mayors, it was agreed restriction will start Nov. 26 to Dec. 4.
    He said the advisory was made after health authorities reportedly expressed concern over rise in severe cases the previous weeks, prompting public and private health practitioners to seek enforcement of stringent restrictions to the extent of proposing a “two-week timeout” in the city to prevent further spread of the virus, especially among  vulnerable sectors.
    The health sector reportedly also pushed for the implementation of strict border controls for La Trinidad-Itogon-Sablan-Tuba-Tublay (LISTT) residents aside from the immediate dispatch of inspection teams, which will monitor compliance with minimum public health standards.
    While Covid-19 cases in Baguio were higher compared to nearby municipalities, Magalong said border restriction was meant to mitigate the spread of infection by limiting inter-municipal movement.