Some 46 Negrenses stranded in Metro Manila arrived in Negros Occidental on board a Cebu Pacific special flight on Wednesday afternoon.
āIām happy to announce that the passengers were able to ride the plane and have already arrived in Negros Occidental. They were brought to our quarantine area in EB Magalona,ā Governor Eugenio Jose Lacson said during the Capitolās Covid-19 virtual presser.
The group was originally scheduled to come home on Tuesday but since the provincial government was unable to secure the needed documents in time for their flight, they had to stay in Manila for another day.
They include 28 females, including an elderly, two toddlers and an infant, as well as 18 males, including a toddler, and two senior citizens.
After arriving at the Bacolod-Silay Airport in Silay City, the passengers were ferried to neighboring EB Magalona town to undergo a 14-day mandatory quarantine.
The travel ban due to the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) outbreak has left hundreds of residents of Negros Occidental and Bacolod City stranded in Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao.
As of Wednesday, the Provincial Disaster Management Program Division (PDMPD) has recorded 1,647 Negrenses who remain in various parts of the country.
Of the number, 981 are from towns and cities outside Bacolod City while 666 are Bacolodnons.
PDMPD chief Zeaphard Caelian said these individuals, listed in the Capitolās online registration system, have also expressed their intention to come home.
He advised the residents of Bacolod to contact the cityās hotline number 0942-189-7127 for further assistance.
On March 18, a total of 89 Negrenses stranded in Luzon have also been flown into Negros Occidental.
The passengers left Clark International Airport also on board a Cebu Pacific flight.
On April 14, some 35 Negrense overseas Filipino workers also arrived in Escalante City from Tabuelan town in Cebu.
The group included 20 residents of various towns and cities, as well as 15 from Bacolod. They are also undergoing a 14-day mandatory quarantine at the patient care center in EB Magalona.Ā (Nanette GuadalquiverĀ ndb via pna)
