Business establishments in barangays Punta Taytay, Pahanocoy, Alangilan, and Granada that cater to tourists have agreed to temporarily suspend their operations on June 24, the feast day of St. John the Baptist.
Among these establishments are beach and mountain resorts, bars, restaurants, and coffee shops.
This was after Mayor Evelio Leonardia, Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, and other officials of the Emergency Operations Center held consultation meetings with them on June 18 and 19 on the efforts of the city government to contain the spread of Covid-19 in Bacolod.
“This is a big boost to our efforts to contain the spread of the virus because we cannot afford to have the thousands of people who usually flock to the beaches of Bacolod during the San Juan fiesta,” Leonardia said after his Friday meeting with the business owners at the Punta Taytay gym.
Aside from business owners, also present in the meeting were Punta Taytay Barangay Captain Leah Palma, kagawads Heries Trance and Gilberto Guillena, and SK chairman Sharmaine Dela Cruz, and Pahanocoy Barangay Captain Yolanda Noble, a press release from the city said.
Leonardia was accompanied by Familiaran and officials of the EOC, including EOC deputy medical Dr. Anna Maria Laarni Pornan and EOC secretariat head and executive assistant Teresa Manalili.
Also present in the meeting were Bacolod City Police Office officials P/Lt. Col. David Cachumbo Jr., deputy city director for operations, P/Lt. Col. Lester Leada, head of the Operations Management Unit, and P/Maj. Richie Gohee, station commander of Police Station 9.
On Saturday, Leonardia met with owners of mountain resorts, bars, restaurants, and coffee shops in barangays Alangilan and Granada, at the Alangilan gym attended by barangay captain Degie Tanista and Granada barangay secretary Rose Cuaycong.
“We also thank the resort and kapehan owners in the Alangilan and Granada areas for agreeing to close their businesses on June 24,” Leonardia said.
He reported on the Covid-19 situation in Bacolod and encouraged attendees to comply with minimum health protocols, such as the proper wearing of face masks and face shields, observing physical distancing of at least one meter, and complying with the 10 p.m. to 4 a.m. curfew hours, and the total ban on the consumption of liquor in public, the press release said.
“June 24 is the feast of San Juan which usually gathers big crowds in these locations and this is what we want to avoid at a time like this. We continue to appeal for everybody’s cooperation in order to contain this deadly virus,” the mayor said.
Also present in the meeting were Manalili, Leada, Bartolome Malde Jr. of the City Legal Office, and P/Lt. Melvin Mercado, deputy station commander of Police Station 5.
In April, the same business establishments in the four barangays also agreed to close on Easter Sunday so as not to attract crowds from gathering in one place.
Dialogs were also conducted and led by Leonardia back then because of the sudden spike in the number of Covid-19 cases in the city, the press release added.*
