BACOLOD City – The city government here has established communication lines with residents stranded in other places to assist them in coming home amid the ongoing enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).
At least 11 repatriated from Iloilo had arrived in this city in the afternoon on May 5 at the Bredco Port, in Reclamation Area here.
Of the 11, eight of them were students of the University of the Philippines-Visayas in Miagao, Iloilo; two spouses; and a doctor working at one of the hospitals in this city.
According to Councilor Cindy Rojas, chairperson of the Action Team on Non-overseas Filipino worker (OFW), the returning residents traveled from Dumangas Port in Iloilo via roll-on, roll-off vessel.
Rojas said they were the first batch of the returning non-OFW residents here who were not able to go home after the imposition of the general community quarantine.
“We welcome the first batch of returning residents as they were immediately brought to Medalla Integrated School, in this city’s Barangay Pahanocoy for the mandatory 14 -day quarantine period,” the councilor said.
She added: “This is the start of welcoming back our stranded residents from all over the Philippines.”
Rojas pointed out that the city have been getting the quarantine center ready since last Friday under the supervision of Councilor Renecito Novero, chairman of the Quarantine Center Action Team.
Novero said that several public schools here will be utilized as quarantine centers for returning OFWs , non-OFWs, person with close contact with COVID-19 patient and frontliners.
Another group of at least 25 people in Palawan will also travel home via Iloilo City.
Rojas said they are facilitating the permits for them to arrive in Iloilo although they are looking into the possibility of letting the vessel dock directly in Bacolod.
Rojas said her team is preparing the patient care centers in schools in anticipation of the arrival of more non-OFW returning residents.
Aside from Medalla Integrated School, the Education and Training Center School extension campus will also serve as a quarantine facility. (With a report from PNA/PN)
