ILOILO City – The Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) has completed its four-week visit to all six provinces of Western Visayas, namely Negros Occidental, Iloilo, Aklan, Antique, Capiz, and Guimaras.
This is in line with its goal to help improve testing capacity and contact tracing in Western Visayas to contain the spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
OPAV also delivered personal protective equipment (PPE), facemasks, alcohol, and medicines to these provinces for protection of their frontliners against COVID-19.
To recall, Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino visited the region to meet with local chief executives in the cities of Bacolod and Iloilo and the provinces of Negros Occidental and Iloilo.
The move was in response to a request of Mayor Evelio Leonardia of Bacolod City.
Leonardia asked for help in addressing the increase of COVID-19 cases in the city.
“Bacolod is part of my area of responsibility. The role of OPAV is to lower the response time between Malacañang and the Visayas,” said Secretary Dino.
He added: “If you notice, pag may sulat si Mayor Bing, mag-uusap kami ng gabi, the following day, nagpadala agad kami ng tao through the help of the President Rodrigo Duterte and Sen. Bong Go.”
The meetings with Leonardia, Mayor Jerry Treñas of Iloilo City, Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson of Negros Occidental and Gov. Arthur Defensor of Iloilo City aimed to assess the needs, challenges and gaps in the anti-COVID efforts in said areas.
President Duterte and Sen. Go also sent IATF-EID chief implementer Secretary Carlito Galvez, Jr. and Visayas chief implementer of COVID-19 response retired Maj. Gen. Mel Feliciano.
On the other hand, Dr. Loreche shared the best practices of Cebu with the molecular laboratories in Teresita Lopez Jalandoni Provincial Hospital in Silay City and the Department of Health (DOH)-run Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod City, both in Negros Occidental.
Meantime, 3,000 specimens were sent to Cebu for faster processing of the swab samples and address the backlog in the release of test results.
The DOH 7 Cebu molecular laboratory is now able to capable of processing swab samples due to the decreasing cases in Cebu.
Currently, the Project Balik Buhay of Cebu is being adopted in Western Visayas.
Initiated by OPAV, together with the Department of Health, other government agencies, business sector organizations and the tri-cities of Cebu, Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, the PBB is a roadmap for the reopening of the economy by ensuring a safe workplace.
Aside from flattening the curve, the goal of government is to slowly open the economy amidst the continuing threat of Covid-19. (PIA with OPAV/PN)
