Uniformed police personnel man the border checkpoint in Barangay Bulacao, Talisay City during the start of the implementation of stricter border controls between Cebu City and Cebu Province on June 26, 2020. | CDND File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Talisay City will reopen this Saturday, July 18, its Bulacao border for motorists who are traveling to and from the southern parts of the province.
Mayor Gerald Athony Gullas said that the Natalio Bacalso access that is located in Barangay Bulacao will serve as a diversion road during the weekend and while the Cebu South Coastal Road (CSCR) viaduct is closed to facilitate the ongoing construction of the Cebu Cordova Link Expressway (CCLEX).
The CSCR viaduct closure will be implemented starting at 1 p.m. on Saturday, July 18, and will last until 12 noon on Sunday, July 19.
While the closure of the CSCR viaduct is in effect, the Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO) issued an advisory asking all northbound motorists to make a detour at F. Vestil Street while those who are southbound are advised to make a detour to Osmeña Boulevard and N. Bacalso Avenue.
Anticipating heavy congestion in Cebu’s southern corridor, Gullas decided to open the Bulacao border in his city.
Earlier, Gullas ordered the closure of their Bulacao border together with the implementation of his “One Entrance, One Exit” only policy to regulate the movement of vehicles in Talisay City that serves as the province’s southern border to Cebu City.
Read: First day of Talisay City’s ‘One-entrance policy’ went well, says police chief
But prior to the reopening of their Bulacao border this week, Gullas said that he sought the permission of the Philippine National Police, the Regional Interagency Task Force, and Governor Gwendolyn Garcia.
“We all agreed, and only for essential workers and not for leisure, that during Saturday and Sunday you may pass by the Bulacao border. Meaning if you are working in the areas where businesses are allowed to open or if you are an authorized person outside of residence (APOR), you may pass the Bulacao side for Saturday and Sunday while the viaduct sa Cebu gitrabaho,” the mayor said.
The reopening of Talisay City’s Bulacao border will start at 12 p.m. on Saturday and will continue until 11:59 p.m. on Sunday.
Gullas said that since establishments in Cebu City may already start to operate with its shift from enhanced community quarantined (ECQ) to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), workers who live in Talisay City and other southern Cebu localities are also advised to always bring with them their identification cards and certificates of employment to be able to cross the Bulacao border and return home later in the day.
Talisay City will also start to deploy later this Saturday, five buses that were issued special permits by the Land Transportation Franchising and Regulatory in Central Visayas (LTFRB-7) to ferry city residents to and from Cebu City.
The buses will be parked at the Lantaw Terminal and will ply to Osmeña Boulevard in Cebu City and vice versa with fares ranging from P11 to P15 depending on the distance of travel. / dcb