ANGELES CITY – Calls for the temporary closure of Clark International Airport are mounting anew after the seemingly endless entry of foreign visitors in Pampanga province amid the Enhanced Community Quarantine being enforced by the government.
In a Joint Council Session held on Wednesday at the Angeles City Legislative Building, councilors of Angeles City, Mabalacat City and Porac town have called on President Rodrigo Duterte to temporarily close the Clark airport to prevent the spread of novel coronavirus or COVID-19.
Foreign visitors and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) continue to disembark at the Clark airport after the government lifted its earlier decision to close all Luzon airports last March 20.
In a joint resolution, the two Sangguniang Panglungsod of Angeles and Mabalacat and the Sangguniang Bayan ng Porac, asked President Duterte “to temporarily shut down the operation of the Clark International Airport in Clarkfield, Pampanga while the spread of the coronavirus in the country still remains.”
Mabalacat Vice Mayor Gerald Aquino also said all concerned local government units will also facilitate the implementation of social distancing and enhance quarantine procedures upon their respective domestic and international passengers/constituents or kababayans intending to arrive at the Clark International Airport Terminal particularly OFW passengers from the moment of arrival up to the time of completing the required quarantine period in their area of jurisdiction for the purpose of preventing or managing the rapid spread of the coronavirus disease in the country particularly in the island of Luzon.”
Aquino said they will also encourage the Clark airport to stop dropping off passengers at the Mabalacat Bus Terminal or elsewhere. “We have stopped the operation of the Mabalacat Bus Terminal and yet marami po ang bumaba sa bus terminal which is specifically located in Dau. Wala pong direct communication to us so it created an alarm sa Mabalacat City.”
“Why is it po na yung mga OFWs ay ibinababa sa Mabalacat Bus Terminal?,” asked Aquino.
Aquino said during the Joint Council Session, it was agreed that no one will set up a drop off points in Angeles City, Mabalacat and Porac to protect our constituents. A high ranking government official had reportedly directed Mabalacat officials to assist arriving passengers from the Clark airport who will return to provinces in the North. Some 200 passengers who arrived at Clark were reportedly drove to the Mabalacat Bus Terminal last week which created a frenzy in Mabalacat City.