ILOILO – Mayors here opposed the scrapping of the 14-day quarantine requirement for repatriated overseas Filipinos (ROFs).
This latest order of the national government’s task force against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) could further spread the illness, said San Enrique town’s Mayor Rosario Mediatrix Fernandez, president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) – Iloilo chapter.
“All our hard work and resources expended to stop COVID-19 transmission will be put to waste kon pabay-an na lang sila nga mag deretso pauli,” Fernandez told Panay News.
As directed by the task force, ROFs in good health and with negative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test results need not stay at the quarantine facilities of their local government units (LGUs) for two weeks.
In Iloilo City, Mayor Jerry Treñas said he will follow the directive even if he has reservations.
“My concern is may mga cases nga pag-abot diri sang overseas Filipino worker, even if may ara sya sang negative RT-PCR test, pagsulod sa hotel kag kwaan sang specimenfor testing, positive man gihapon,” he said.
Treñas said he would encourage ROFs to observe home quarantine and would task Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs) to monitoring them.
However, Regional Director Jose Roberto Nuñez of the Office of Civil Defense and chief of the Western Visayas inter-agency task force on COVID-19 said ROFs “shall no longer be subjected to local health protocols “provided po na may negative RT-PCR result sila (from Manila) and are not showing any signs or symptoms related to COVID-19.”
In Iloilo province, Fernandez said some mayors, too, were planning to require ROFs to observe home quarantine.
“But how safe ang balay nila for home quarantine,” asked Fernandez, adding that not all homes are conducive for such.
There is no guarantee that the ROFs would be faithful to their home quarantine, she added.
“Sa uma, laka ka lang kakita nga ang balay may kwarto. Kon may kwarto gid man, may comfort room bala?” said Fernandez.
According to Nuñez, however, “Wala na (home quarantine).”
What happens if an ROF gets sick?
“If iba ang pakiramdam nila days after, lapit lang sila sa BHERTs or city/municipal health office,” said Nuñez.
The ROF’s transport could put at risk the health of family members and even neighbors, Fernandez warned.
“What if magdulolongan sila masakit? Dal-on sa ospital. What will happen to them? Mapatay na lang ‘ni guro ang mga pasyente naton nga indi ma-manage sang ospital,” she added.
LMP-Iloilo plans to come up with a resolution asking the national task force to reconsider its directive.
While the order would somehow lighten the burden of local government units, Fernandez said, such could compromise public safety.
She also pointed out that the previous scheme – ROFs being quarantined in hotels with the Overseas Welfare Workers Administration (OWWA) footing the bill – worked just fine.
“I have to be clear. We want our ROFs and locally stranded individuals (LSIs) to be home with their loved ones. But the safety of their loved ones, panimalay, community should be paramount,” said Fernandez.
She added: “Sixty percent sang panimalay either may senior citizens, pregnant women, persons with disability, and immuno-compromised.”
On Aug. 19 the national task force against COVID-19 headed by Defense secretary Delfin Lorenzana issued the “Operational Guidelines on the Management of Returning Overseas Filipinos.” The salient features are the following:
* All receiving LGUs shall not deny the entry of ROFs with complete requirements, provided that prior coordination was made through the National Task Force (NTF) and/or the Regional Task Forces (RTFs), and other concerned agencies as deemed necessary.
* All ROFs in good health with test documents showing negative RT-PCR result for COVID-19 shall not be subjected to another 14-day quarantine by the receiving LGUs.
The guidelines also listed things/moves that LGUs must do upon the ROFs’ arrival. These are the following:
* The concerned RTF/LGUs shall facilitate the transportation of arriving ROFs to their respective home provinces.
* Upon arrival of ROFs to their final destination, the Local COVID Task Force shall receive the ROFs and assist in their transportation to their respective homes.
* The ROFs shall no longer be subjected to Local Health Protocols by receiving LGUs.
* The ROFs shall notify their respective LGUs if they manifest signs and symptoms of COVID-19.
As of Aug. 27 data of the Western Visayas Regional Task Force on COVID-19, Region 6 had 11,601 ROFs. Here’s the breakdown:
* Iloilo City – 1,731
* Bacolod City – 1,715
* Aklan – 1,350
* Antique – 1,243
* Capiz – 1 ,697
* Guimaras – 452
* Iloilo – 2,105
* Negros Occidental – 1,300/PN
