Frank Carbon, chief executive officer of Metro Bacolod Chamber of Commerce and Industry (MBCCI), said the economic recovery for Western Visayas is underway.
Carbon, adviser of one of the fast craft firms operating between Iloilo and Bacolod, said he is optimistic on the economic recovery because the indications are encouraging.
For one, the initial volume of passengers and cargoes after fast crafts resumed operation last Oct 31, 2020 was quite good.
Earlier, the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Negros Occidental said 353 passengers travelled from Bacolod to Iloilo and vice-versa upon resumption of fast craft vessel operations on Oct 31, 2020.
Commander Jansen Benjamin, PCG-Negros Occidental head, said 196 were inbound (going to Bacolod) passengers and 157 were outbound passengers.
Benjamin said only two fast crafts resumed their operations after more than three months of suspension due to the surge of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Iloilo City and Bacolod City in the past months.
These two fast crafts have only two trips per day, he added.
Carbon urged everyone to hang on.
“We’re almost there,” he said.
He said it is a good sign as Western Visayas is now open for business with the unhampered movement of people and goods.
Carbon said another good sign is the opening of Sipalay City, one of the major tourist arrival contributors of Negros Occidental, to visitors and tourists.
He further said that hotels in the city are ready to accept visitors and tourists. Food delivery services are also thriving.
Carbon also said that the SM Hotel will open anytime now.
Traders in the region have committed to restart their trading activities, he added.
(Dolly Yasa via The Daily Guardian (TDG), photo courtesy by TDG)