At 10:30 this morning, Governor Bong Lacson appealed to Ret. Gen. Carlito Galvez Jr., Chief Implementer on the National Task Force on COVID-19, IATF-EID Vaccine Czar, and Sec. Vivencio B. Dizon, Deputy Chief Implementer on the National Task Force on COVID-19, IATF Testing Czar, to reconsider the DILG Region VI observations and recommendations relative to EO 21-18-A, Series of 2021, and allow the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental to implement the mandatory swabbing and quarantine upon entry of all travelers to theProvince of Negros Occidental.

Gov. Bong Lacson contended that while the province intends to fully implement the uniform travel protocols mandated in the IATF Resolution 101, the unexpected increase of positivity rate in our molecular laboratory andthe rapid surge of COVID-19 confirmed cases have rendered the Province of Negros Occidental defenseless from the onslaught of COVID-19 cases coming from other parts of the country. Just today, our Molecular Laboratory has recorded additional fifty three (53) COVID-19 confirmed cases.