ILOILO – The League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) – Iloilo Chapter appealed to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) to temporarily halt the return of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) from Metro Manila.
“The continuing transport of LSIs will greatly contribute to the increase in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the province,” according to LMP-Iloilo in a resolution approved yesterday afternoon.
Led by Mayor Mediatrix Fernandez of San Enrique town, LMP-Iloilo noted that of the 67 new COVID-19 cases that the Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 recorded on July 12, 52 were LSIs.
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Region 6 has announced the lifting effective today (July 15) of the moratorium on the travel of LSIs back to Region 6.
The moratorium was imposed on June 28.
“This is part of the agreement by provincial governors, highly-urbanized cities’ mayors and members of the regional inter-agency task force,” read part of the DILG-6 advisory released by Officer-in-Charge Juan Jovian Ingeniero.
“A prior coordination to their receiving local government units (LGUs) may be explored to ensure that (the LSIs’) travel will be properly arranged,” DILG-6 added.
But the advisory also stressed that the “movement of LSIs from areas under enhanced and modified enhanced community quarantine is not permitted.”
LMP-Iloilo secretary Mayor Geefree Alonsabe of Alimodian town said local government units (LGUs) were running out of quarantine facilities. He cited his town as example.
Alonsabe also said his town’s healthcare workers were also running out of personal protective equipment (PPEs).
LMP-Iloilo stressed “there is a need to (first) build on the existing response measures of the government relative to the (coronavirus disease 2019) outbreak.”
The other reasons it cited for seeking a halt to LSIs’ return were the following:
* maximize first the gains the LGUs have achieved thus far in battling the coronavirus
* strengthen first hospitals and other medical facilities, and LGUs
The provincial government is supportive of the LMP-Iloilo’s position. Acting Provincial Administrator Suzette Mamon also cited the COVID-19 testing backlog of the Western Visayas Medical Center sub-national laboratory. She said some 1,000 specimens still waiting to be analyzed were from the province.
The delay, said Mamon, has resulted to many quarantined people extending their stay in quarantine facilities beyond 14 days.
In her understanding, Mamon added, the moratorium on the return of LSIs would be until July 15, citing the conversation of Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. and Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr., chief implementer of the national COVID-19 plan./PN
