BY DOMINIQUE GABRIEL BAÑAGA
BACOLOD City – Ninety-one Negrenses stranded in the town of Tabuelan, Cebu returned home.
Dr. Zeaphard Caelian, head of the provincial government’s Humanitarian and Response Cluster, said four buses and an ambulance belonging to various local government units (LGUs) in Negros Occidental were sent to Tabuelan to pick up the stranded Negrenses.
Caelian said these returning residents were escorted by police upon their arrival yesterday in the Port of Escalante City. They will spend themandatory 14-day quarantine at the Provincial Healing Center in Cadiz City while waiting for their swab test results for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
Last month, Tabuelan Mayor Raul Gerona issued an executive order, banning all roll-on/roll-off and passenger ferry services originating from Negros and Iloilo from entering their municipality.
Gerona pointed out that the local government unit of his town is only a fourth-class municipality that relies on its share from the Internal Revenue Allotment.
He pointed out the personnel, resources and the health services of his municipality had been gravely affected when the Department of Health recalled their rural health physician for security reasons.
With this development, Gerona said the situation has hampered the services of the Department of Health in the town, especially in the testing of persons coming in and out of Tabuelan to prevent the spread of COVID-19.
The municipality of Tabuelan serves as a gate way in the northern part of Cebu and has ferry services connecting to the town of Estancia in Iloilo, and the cities of Escalante and Sagay in Negros Occidental./PN
