ILOILO City – The number of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases in Western Visayas zoomed to 1,036 on Saturday. It is expected to further increase in the coming days.
Tomorrow, 446 locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and authorized persons outside residence (APOR) are returning from Metro Manila – the first in several more batches of returning Western Viayans.
The Department of Health (DOH) Region 6 recorded 76 new cases on July 25. These were made up of 47 LSIs or repatriated Filipino overseas workers (OFWs) and 29 local transmissions.
Of the region’s 1,036 COVID-19 cases, 763 were LSIs and/or repatriates while 273 were indigenous.
The return of the 446 LSIs tomorrow is being processed under the national government’s Hatid-Tulong Program, according to Director Jose Roberto Nuñez of the Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Region 6.
They will be departing Metro Manila today onboard the St. Michael the Archangel ship, added Nuñez, also the head of the regional task force on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
In an advisory released on Saturday, Nuñez urged provincial governors, city and municipal mayors to prepare.
Here’s the breakdown of the 446 returning LSIs and APOR: Aklan – seven; Antique – 107; Capiz – 47; Guimaras – six; Iloilo province – 77; Negros Occidental – 96; Bacolod City – 31; Iloilo City – 39; and APOR – 36.
Nuñez said the Regional Incident Management Team (RIMT) for LSIs was activated as early as July 24 with the following tasks:
* ensure the safety of responders that would be mobilized and the general public
* facilitate the availability of quarantine/isolation facilities among local government units (LGUs)
* facilitate the smooth disembarkation of LSIs
* ensure the availability of transportation for LSIs in coordination with receiving LGUs
* facilitate activation of camp management in the quarantine facility
The Hatid Tulong Program, an initiative of the Presidential Management Staff (PMS), is a short-term humanitarian effort to assist people stranded in Metro Manila due to travel restrictions in line with the ongoing community quarantine because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.
As of July 25, 28,634 LSIs and 8,306 repatriated overseas Filipinos (ROFs) have returned to Region 6 since April broken down as follows:
* for LSIs: Iloilo City – 1,066; Bacolod City – 1,066; Aklan – 3,982; Antique – 7,391; Capiz – 4,960; Guimaras – 479; Iloilo – 4,294; and Negros Occidental – 5,396
* for ROFs: Iloilo City – 1,147; Bacolod City – 1,335; Aklan – 1,097; Antique – 780; Capiz – 1,225; Guimaras – 307; Iloilo province – 1,837; and Negros Occidental – 578
Members of the RIMT are the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Health, Philippine Coast Guard, Philippine National Police, Bureau of Quarantine, and Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines, among others.
Yesterday, Vice President Leni Robredo expressed horror over circulating photos of LSIs crammed inside the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila.
Thousands of LSIs, mostly from the Visayas and Mindanao, were initially scheduled to return to their respective provinces over the weekend.
For Robredo, the photos, which eventually went viral, showed that the government had no organized way of accommodating the LSIs.
As seen in the photos, no physical distancing was imposed and not everyone was wearing face masks.
“Are these pictures real? If they are, shame on us,” she said in her Facebook post.
As for Region 6’s 1,036 cases, here’s the breakdown: – Aklan, six; Antique, 15; Capiz, six; Guimaras, zero; Iloilo province, 75; Negros Occidental, 38; Bacolod City, 78; Iloilo City, 55; repatriates, 763.
DOH-6 said of these cases, 596 already recovered while 16 died, leaving the region with 242 active cases as of July 25./PN
