By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

Negros Occidental Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson is appealing for cooperation for Iloilo as sea travel from Bacolod City and Negros Occidental to Iloilo City is temporarily suspended starting today until May 31.

“I don’t think it’s a problem. It’s from May 25 to May 31 that was granted for Iloilo. Let’s just help Iloilo if this is a way of stopping the surge. Let’s be part of the solution,” Lacson said.

The stricter modified enhanced community quarantine status for Iloilo City was approved by the National Inter-agency Task Force (NIATF) due to the surge of COVID-19 cases there.

“It’s more of a PR because someday we may need something from Iloilo. There will be some that will be affected but if there will be a surge in Iloilo who’s gonna take care of them? It’s still the government so we will cooperate with Iloilo,” he explained.

Lacson, meanwhile, explained that while the request of Iloilo was granted by the NIATF, Negros’s request to be out under general community quarantine was not granted because the province has been identified under low risk areas.

“Our cases has been going down,” Lacson said./DGB, WDJ