970 travelers to Baguio sent back for border violations

By Gaby B. Keith

BAGUIO CITY -- Baguio City police sent back 970 travelers to their places of origin recently after it was found at the city's borders they either had no documents or lacked papers to enter the Summer Capital.
    This was disclosed by City Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office chief Antonette Anaban during a virtual management committee meeting of local officials on October 12 led by Mayor Benjamin Magalong.
    She presented updates on the city's Delta variant contingency plan where stricter border control is one of the plan's 20 key result areas.
    The whole months of August and September saw a total of 486 and 1,786 individuals, respectively, sent packing home at the borders for having no documents or lacking them, Anaban said.
    She added that 14 travelers were apprehended for presenting fake health documents in August.
    Baguio's borders are located at Marcos Highway, Tuba Viewdeck, Irisan, Magsaysay, Longlong Tacay, Tiptop, Kias, Asin Tadiangan, Ambiong and Baguio-Tuding.
    Police authorities also apprehended five colorum (franchise-less) vehicles in August and two in September.
    The mayor earlier ordered the BCPO under Col. Glenn Lonogan to enforce stricter control of the city's borders because of a current surge in Covid-19 cases mostly stemming from its more infectious Delta variant.
    The contingency plan's other key result areas include monitoring of compliance with health and safety protocols in establishments and workplaces; expanded age-based restrictions; limited mass gathering; conduct of classes, board review, registration, examinations within Baguio; promotion of use of telemedicine/telecommunication; management of the dead; implementation of rolling stores and market-to-home delivery; and vaccination program.
    Expanded risk-based/targeted testing; aggressive contact tracing; isolation/quarantine policy and increase in bed capacities; community/granular lockdown; monitoring of critical care utilization; augmentation of health workers; inventory/procurement of critical equipment; stockpiling of critical supplies and medicines; real-time referral and coordination of cases; mental health and wellness programs, and other key result areas.