Very few passengers can be seen at the Cebu South Bus Terminal in this March 27, 2020 photo, following the hiatus of people from Cebu City who are going home to the countryside which resulted from the declaration of a province-wide enhanced community quarantine.| CDN Digital Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Cebu provincial government is now scouting for an area in Talisay City for use as a temporary terminal for southern Cebu-bound passenger buses that may start to reoperate next week.
With Cebu province’s anticipated transition to general community quarantine (GCQ) this Saturday, May 16, 2020, Governor Gwendolyn Garcia said some mass transport vehicles, including the buses, may already hit the streets again subject to certain rules.
But while buses may already be allowed to operate, Garcia maintains that these should not be allowed to enter Cebu City as the latter will still remain under a modified enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) until May 31.
Garcia earlier said that even if the province would already transition to GCQ, the Capitol will still not relax its border controls for Cebu City considering that the number of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) cases in its capital.
“Ang Dakbayan sa Sugbo, ECQ pa man gihapon. Busa, ang ruta sa atong buses dili na mo-cross ug dili mahimo nga ang terminal anhi sa Cebu City. Magpadayon gihapon ang atong strikto kaayo nga border controls. Mao na nga mangita ta og lugar didto sa dakbayan sa Talisay,” Garcia said.
(Cebu City will still be under ECQ. With this reason, buses will still not be allowed to cross the city and occupy the existing terminal that is located in the city.)
The governor said that she was already in talks with Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas on the need to look for an area that may be used as an alternative terminal for the southern Cebu buses.
At present, the Cebu South Bus Terminal (CSBT) along Natalio Bacalso Avenue in Cebu City is being utilized as the “Bagsakan Center” or drop-off point of the fresh catch and produce coming from the different towns in Cebu and other neighboring provinces that will be sold in the public markets here.
Vegetables from Sibonga town in southern Cebu arrive at the Cebu South Bus Terminal, the designated wholesale bagsakan center or drop off point of produce from the towns in the province that are delivered to Cebu City. | CDN Digital photo | Gerard Vincent Francisco
In the case of the northern Cebu-bound buses, Garcia said there is less of a concern since the North Bus Terminal (NBT) is located in Barangay Subangdaku in Mandaue City.
Malacañang on Tuesday, May 12, announced that Central Visayas except for Cebu City will already be placed under GCQ starting on May 16.
But the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, however, issued a joint statement asking the IATF to let them stay under the modified ECQ with Cebu City as the tri-cities are currently conducting rapid antibody-based COVID-19 testing. / dcb