ILOILO City – Is Cong. Julienne Baronda making it more complicated for the regional inter-agency task force on the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) to transport back to the city Ilonggo overseas workers stranded in Metro Manila?
“Palihug lang pangabay kay Jam-jam (Baronda’s nickname), waay man ta away, updanay man kita sa pagpadalagan. Palihog ibilin sa task force ang obra,” said Mayor Jerry Treñas in a press conference yesterday.
Information reached Treñas that Baronda was facilitating the return of some 50 stranded seafarers.
He stressed the importance of proper coordination, pointing out an unfortunate incident last week – five persons from the first batch of repatriated Ilonggo overseas workers tested positive for COVID-19. Also, these overseas workers were not attended very well by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Region 6 which failed to coordinate properly with the city government or the task force.
Treñas said it would be better for Baronda to just focus on her mandated function – as legislator – and leave it to the regional inter-agency task force to process the return of the Ilonggo overseas workers.
“Ang obra ko, mayor. As mayor I am the local chief executive concerned sa local government unit. Si (Jose Roberto) Nuñez director sang Office of Civil Defense and head sang task force. Kon congressman ka, ano obra mo,” said Treñas.
Yesterday morning, according to the mayor, Nuñez had a scheduled meeting with him regarding the second batch of stranded Ilonggo OFWs that would be coming home.
But the meeting had to be rescheduled, he said, because Nuñez had to first make clarifications with Baronda regarding the 50 Iloilo City-bound seafarers.
Treñas warned things could just get more muddled if congressmen and congresswomen in Region 6 would insist on their own processes in repatriating Ilonggo overseas workers.
“Kon indi ‘ya gid mapunggan lawas ‘ya, pahilabot sia eh. Ari na gid nga matawhay na, gamuhon pa. Akon bala, indi na ninyo pag gamuha kay papaulion ta na ang nga OFWs. Imbes nga patapos na ang trabaho, ginagamo pa,” lamented the city mayor.
A well-coordinated action, according to Treñas, would ensure the welfare of the OFWs and also protect the city from possible new COVID-19 infections.
Among others, he said, the quarantine facilities for the returning OFWs must be prepared already.
‘MISINTERPRETATION’
Reached for her reaction, Baronda clarified she was not meddling with the task force’s work.
Also stressing she had nothing against Treñas, she believed the mayor merely misinterpreted the help she was extending to the 50 seafarers or to OWWA.
“They are calling me, requesting for my assistance. Kay ti sometimes kon sa dalom sila magtawag, indi masabat dayun. As congresswoman, I can do the calls for them and maka-return call sila. Amo man lang ‘na aton participation,” said Baronda over DyFM Bombo Radyo Iloilo.
The city’s first congresswoman also said she could not just turn her back away from Ilonggos seeking her assistance.
“Kon may mangayo bulig sa aton nga stranded OFWs didto sa Manila, buligan naton sa masarangan ta. Pero siempre we need to follow protocols of the task force,” Baronda said.
Yes, she added, she was coordinating with Nuñez.
Included in these protocols is subjecting the OFW to real-time reverse transcription – polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test for COVID-19 and informing the task force of the test results.
“Basta my conscience is clean. Wala ako may nalapakan. Nagtrabaho lang kita, nagbulig bilang congresswoman luwas sa trabaho sa legislature,” said Baronda.
In fact, she informed Treñas about the 50 seafarers she was helping Friday last week yet, said Baronda, and that she was waiting for his advice on what steps to take next.
These seafarers’ test results were all negative for COVID-19, she added.
Baronda reiterated her support to Treñas.
“We heal as one. I always heed kon ano man imo desisyon,” she said./PN
