ILOILO City – Local chief executives (LCEs) in Western Visayas appealed for a status quo in their respective community quarantine classifications for the remainder of July in reaction to the recommendations of the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF).
The recommendations were:
* Iloilo city and province – enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) from modified ECQ (MECQ)
* Capiz, Bacolod City, Aklan, and Antique – MECQ from general community quarantine (GCQ)
* Negros Occidental and Guimaras – remain under GCQ
Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in the region are manageable, and the escalation of quarantine measures would have adverse impacts on the economy, according to LCEs in yesterday’s joint virtual meeting with the Regional Task Force on COVID-19, Regional Inter-Agency Task Force and the Department of Health (DOH), among other agencies.
“Ginapangayo nila (LCEs) ang aton report sang daily attack rate, utilization rate sang hospitals and kon ano gid ang data on the ground para nga mabangga man nila sa data sa national,” said Cindy Ferrer, spokesperson of the RTF, in an interview with Panay News.
“Base sa ila nga assessment kag sa report sang DOH, wala gid man kita sang areas nga nagapabilin nga high risk classification kon cases ang istoryahan,” she added.
ILOILO CITY AND PROVINCE
“We do not want our people to suffer,” said Iloilo City’s Mayor Jerry Treñas.
Treñas stressed that the Ilonggos are struggling to recover economically and the LCEs have been exerting effort to protect their people trying to earn for their families.
During the meeting, both the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and the National Economic Development Authority (NEDA) agreed that LCEs should appeal to the NIATF.
For Iloilo City, Treñas cited several reasons for maintaining the current quarantine level.
First, the healthcare utilization rate of Iloilo City is affected by a “confluence of factors that are not directly attributable to its capacity to augment health services”.
Treñas noted the hospitals and healthcare units here are not only catering to residents here but also to patients from neighboring provinces and cities.
“While we take pleasure in being of service to our neighbors, we assert due consideration to the fact that the numbers (admitted patients as reflected in DOH situationer) ascribed to Iloilo City are not depictive of the heathcare utilization and accommodation of our constituents alone,” Treñas emphasized.
The city mayor also took note that the city has fortified its surveillance capacity with the issuance of Executive Order No. 60-2021 (An Order Adopting the Safety Seal Certification Program and Providing the Implementing Guidelines of the New Normal for Businesses, Industries and Establishments).
Treñas added that only 30 percent of the beds at the city’s 19 temporary treatment and monitoring facilities, which can cater a total of 994 individuals, have been occupied and relatively low.
Also, he noted that there has been a downward trend in the city’s daily confirmed cases. He cited a significant drop of 24.41 percent in cases.
Treñas also underscored the aggressive vaccination against COVID-19 in the city – 8,442 doses daily – and the enforcement of health protocols.
Treñas pointed out, too, the effective management of close contacts, massive testing and swift isolation undertaken by the city as well as augmentation of manpower to hospitals and healthcare facilities and the assistance from private sector and other medical organizations.
“It has been one year and three months since the pandemic started and the Ilonggos have been extremely patient and compliant with the guidelines set out by the national government. But now with lesser cases, the people earnestly wish that the decision of placing Iloilo City under ECQ be reviewed in the hope that a less strict quarantine status…will result in more activities allowed and increased business and employment opportunities,” Treñas added.
Treñas also lamented that the month-long MECQ status of the city severely crippled the city’s economy, leaving many of its constituents in want.
“We have been meeting with the LCEs, PhilHealth (Philippine Health Insurance Corp.) and DOH to assist us. We are asking the Regional IATF to help us in this battle,” Treñas said.
“It has been over a year, and the LGUs have been always at the forefront. We are hoping that they will see what is really happening in the ground, and help our constituents during this difficult time,” he added.
On the other hand, Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. said he wrote Health secretary Francisco Duque III requesting that the province be maintained under MECQ.
In his appeal, he cited that from June 30 to July 13, 2021, the province’s Average Daily Attack Rate (ADAR) registered at 5.9, which fell under the moderate-risk classification.
“This is even lower than the previous ADAR of 7.13 for the period from June 16 to 29, 2021, during which the province was likewise under MECQ. Significantly, the latter figure even merits ECQ classification. This is just to illustrate the point that the ADAR of the province has in fact lowered,” Defensor said.
As to the Two Week Growth Rate (TWGR), the same dropped from 2,066 for the period from June 16 to 29 2021, to 1,709 for the period from June 30 to July 13, 2021, or a decrease of 17 percent from the previous two-week period.
“The relevant decrease in ADAR and TWGR of the Province does not support the escalation of our community quarantine regime to ECQ,” Defensor stressed.
Defensor also cited the socioeconomic situation of the province.
“After one year and four months of community quarantine experience, ECQ together with the accompanying measures of strict home quarantine, substantial closure of establishments and stoppage of public transport, among others, is no longer sustainable given the state of our economy and psychosocial wellbeing of our citizens,” Defesnor emphasized.
As of July 13, 2021, the Health Care Utilization Rate (HCUR) of the province is at 57.5 percent, considered “low risk” based on the parameters established by the DOH.
“To further manage the HCUR of the Province, the COVID-19 dedicated hospital beds in our district hospitals and the Iloilo Provincial Hospital has been increased to 50 percent which is beyond the requirement of the DOH at 30 percent,” he said.
The governor convened the Provincial Defense Cluster, DOH and the DILG yesterday to assess the province’s COVID-19 situation.
DOH-6 data showed, as of July 13, Iloilo province had 13,939 total coronavirus confirmed cases – 2,977 active, 10,619 recovered and 340 dead.
CAPIZ
Gov. Esteban Contreras also wanted to retain their current GCQ.
“Nagpatawag man ako emergency meeting with my core group and nagkuha ko sang message sa mga LGUs (local government units) kon ano man opinion nila. Majority nag-upod sa amon nga stand nga i-retain or ma-apelar kami for the retention sang amon classification or status quo na lang anay nga GCQ considering nga okay man ang amon or na-contain man ang COVID namon,” Contreras told Panay News.
Contreras also cited the impact of the possible escalation to businesses in Capiz.
“Madamo ako sang nabaton nga calls halin sa business sector nga naga-worry kay iban bag-o lang nag-open tapos ma-close naman. Iban bag-o lang kasulod sa trabaho dasun madulaan naman. So mabudlay ang impact sa local economy, mabatyagan na gid nila,” Contreras shared.
“Ang aton LGUs indi makasustiner sang pakaon sa mga pumoluyo so limited man ang resources naton,” he added.
As of July 13, Capiz had 587 active coronavirus cases.
ANTIQUE
Gov. Rhodora Cadiao cited the situation of their hospital and the impact on businesses.
“I-appeal namon. According to our doctors, our hospital (Angel Salazar Memorial General Hospital) half usage na sa ngayon, hindi pa puno. So, if we are going to base on the utilization of hospital, indi naman dapat (i-escalate to MECQ),” Cadiao said.
“‘Dami na rin ang nagreklamo sa akin na ‘open close, open close’ ang businesses, indi na healthy kag mayad,” Cadiao lamented.
Antique had 2,624 total COVID cases, 537 of which were active as of July 13.
BACOLOD CITY
“Many Bacolodnons lost their jobs and businesses because of the prolonged community quarantine,” said Mayor Evelio Leonardia.
“We cannot afford to add more restrictions that can result to dire consequences in our economy and cause more hardships to already suffering families,” he added.
He also pointed out the city’s “tireless efforts to contain the virus, through the strict implementation of expanded testing, intensified contact tracing, strict border controls, restricting mass gatherings, curfew, liquor ban and alternative work arrangements in both government and private offices”.
These have resulted to the reduction in cases in the last two weeks, Leonardia added.
Bacolod City was also continuously working “to expand our healthcare capacities including providing additional beds and hiring health workers”.
“The healthcare capacity utilization in all tertiary private and government hospitals in Bacolod is at 64 percent – half of which is from Bacolod City while the rest are COVID-19 patients from other LGUs in Negros Occidental,” Leonardia added.
RIATF, RTF BACK LGUS
Meanwhile, Christian Nagaynay, head secretariat of the RIATF, said the regional task forces backed the LCEs’ decision, and they have put this into a joint resolution.
Nagaynay said the recommendations, which include the letters of appeal from the LGUs and resolution jointly passed by RIATF and RTF, will be sent directly to Interior undersecretary Epimaco Densing as head of the screening committee of the IATF./PN
