ILOILO – What has the local government unit (LGU) of San Miguel town done in response to the alleged unpleasant status of the town’s quarantine facility?
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) in Region 6, which chairs the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF) on COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019), has asked Mayor Marina Luz Gorriceta to respond.
A resident being quarantined there, 25-year-old Rinj Tutisura, complained on social media.
DILG-Iloilo director Teodora Sumagaysay sent on Thursday a letter from DILG-6 director Juan Jovian Ingeniero to Gov. Arthur Defensor Jr. intending to call Gorriceta’s attention.
“Si guv ang mapadala kay Mayor Gorriceta. Ginapa-explain sia. Dapat may action taken sia,” Sumagaysay told Panay News Thursday afternoon.
The letter was coursed through Defensor because the director has supervisory power of mayors, Sumagaysay said.
DILG-6 gave Gorriceta 15 days to respond.
FORMAL COMPLAINT
DILG-6’s move came following a formal complaint sent to Ingeniero on Wednesday, Aug. 25 by Tutisura’s acquaintances.
DILG-Iloilo province immediately acted at their level by instructing the Municipal Local Government Operations Officer (MLGOO) assigned in San Miguel to take cognizance of the complaint.
Subsequently, the MLGOO convened a meeting with members of the Municipal Inter-Agency Task Force (MIAT) headed by Gorriceta on Thursday morning.
Sumagaysay said she was waiting for a special report from MLGOO on what was found during an inspection.
“Ang medyo issue ang common nga CR (comfort room),” said Sumagaysay, referring to two toilets – one on the second floor and one on the first floor.
Sumagaysay said the RIATF has a designated team monitoring quarantine facilities in this province – the Regional Incident Management Team (RIMT) chaired by the Office of the Civil Defense; the DILG and the Department of Health (DOH) are members.
However, Sumagaysay said RIMT members, particularly DOH personnel, have been quarantined.
With this, she said, they are not yet able to check San Miguel’s quarantine facility.
WHERE IS THIS COMING?
In an interview with Panay News Thursday afternoon, Tutisura said he was first facility quarantined on July 23 after he tested positive for COVID-19.
After 14 days (Aug. 5), he was discharged and continued another seven days quarantine in their home to be tagged as recovered.
Unfortunately, on Aug. 21 his father died; he was subjected to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) test.
The complainant and his mother were identified as close contacts.
Tutisura said their LGU immediately directed them to the quarantine facility on Aug. 21.
His father’s result came out positive of COVID-19 on Sunday, Aug. 22.
The complainant and the mother underwent RT-PCR test on Aug. 23.
The problem, according to Tutisura, started on Aug. 24 while they were waiting for their RT-PCR test results.
According to Tutisura, they were taken to a room where they were confined with “people who were positive for COVID-19” and other close contacts who were also waiting for their results.
“Initially sang Saturday to Monday ginbutang kami sa areas nga para sa OFWs (overseas Filipino workers) kay wala pa that time sang OFWs…pagka-Tuesday morning ginpahalin kami sa pihak nga room upod sa iban nga close contacts and confirmed cases (of COVID) bisan wala pa result namon,” Tutisura told Panay News.
“Hapon pa naggwa ang result namon nga positive kami,” he added.
It is possible, according to Tutisura, that the manager of the quarantine facility anticipated that they were positive for the virus so they were transferred to the said room prior their RT-PCR results.
Here are some of Tutisura’s allegations that went viral on Facebook:
* Nurses and sanitary workers “do not wear” their Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when entering the quarantine facility.
* The facility quarantine has “no serious disinfection”.
* No cellular and data signal. There’s wi-fi but “one has to pay for access”.
* “Common, untidy” CR
* “No one” monitors the vital signs of people being quarantined.
* “No one” monitors the interaction of people from outside the facility with those quarantined.
“Pwede ka pa gani kabakal sa galabay nga manuglibod balot kag tinapay,” Tutisura wrote on Facebook.
“Wala gid problema magpa-facility quarantine kun nami ‘di sitwasyon. Wala ko nag-reklamo the first time but kay second time na ‘ni kag upod ko pa ‘di subong ang akon nanay nga PWD (person with disability),” Tutisura said.
GORRICETA DENIES
On the other hand, Mayor Gorriceta insisted they did not house the close contacts and the confirmed cases in one room.
Also, she said, “Indi lang mag-expect nga tag-isa-isa CR, sa gina-complain ‘ya nga common gid sila nagagamit sang CR.”
“Each of them should also practice health standards. Limpyuhan man nila paghalin nila. Ginatagan man na sila kits. May thermometer, alcohol, bulong kag iban pa,” Gorriceta said in an interview with Aksyon Radyo Iloilo.
Gorriceta also stressed that the nurse checking the body temperature of those quarantined was wearing complete PPEs, contrary to Tutisura’s allegation.
Nevertheless, so as to find out if Tutisura’s complaints were true, Gorriceta said she would conduct an investigation./PN
