By Dominique Gabriel G. Bañaga

The three fastcraft operators plying the Bacolod City-Iloilo City route are reluctant to add more trips even as Bacolod City and Iloilo City’s COVID-19 status were downgraded to Alert Level 1 and Alert 2, respectively.

In a radio interview with Brigada News FM-Bacolod, Weesam Express operator Frank Carbon said passenger numbers remain low even though travel restrictions have been lifted.

Carbon said passenger utilization rate remains less than 50 percent.

That means in a 270-seater fastcraft, only 100 passengers will utilize the seats.

Carbon said there are a total of eight trips daily between Bacolod City and Iloilo City, or two trips for every shipping line scheduled between morning and afternoon between his ferry company Weesam Express and OceanJet Fast Ferry Corporation.

Chelsea Logistics’ SuperCat Fast Ferry Corporation, meanwhile, has yet to resume services with Carbon adding that their ships and personnel have temporarily returned back to their home base in Cebu.

Under Alert Level 1 status, intrazonal and interzonal movement in Bacolod City is no longer restricted even for minors and persons with comorbidities, although proper health protocols must still be observed.

Travel requirements for Bacolod City remain the same, a BacTrac ID and a vaccination card for fully vaccinated travelers,

Unvaccinated or those who have yet to complete their COVID-19 vaccination are required to submit a negative rapid antigen test from a laboratory certified by the Department of Health (DOH).

The city also has the right to refuse entry for travelers who fail to comply with the set travel requirements by invoking Section 4.3 of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Memorandum Circular No. 2021-035 dated March 24, 2021.

Bacolod City also warned that those who are caught presenting fake or tampered travel documents will be held liable for prosecution under law./DGB, WDJ