ILOILO – The municipal government of Concepcion has temporarily stopped accepting locally stranded individual (LSIs) and repatriated overseas Filipinos (ROFs).
According to Mayor Raul Banias, 65 houses at the National Housing Authority’s housing site in Barangay Bacjawan Sur serving as the town’s quarantine facility are now fully occupied.
“We are willing to accommodate our returning kasimanwas galing kay indi pa namon sila ma-isolate sang maayo. We could be putting in danger their families and our frontliners,” said Banias.
It is unclear when would Concepcion resume accepting LSIs and ROFs. Banias is meeting with the local task force on coronavirus disease 2019 this morning.
“We will assess our situation,” said the mayor, a medical doctor.
Concepcion’s quarantine facility also accommodates local COVID-19 cases and their close contacts.
Banias plans to confer with the Overseas Welfare Workers Administration (OWWA). Three hotels in Concepcion may be utilized for the ROFs’ quarantine with OWWA footing the bill.
For LSIs and indigenous COVID-19 cases, the municipal government is willing to shoulder the quarantine expenses in the hotels, he added.
As of Aug. 31, Concepcion had 16 COVID-19 cases (10 recovered, six active).
In a related story, the municipal government of Concepcion recently gave a cash incentive of P2,177 and one sack of rice to each LSI and ROF who completed 14 days of quarantine.
As of Aug. 28, 40 ROFs and 145 LSIs have received the cash incentive and one sack of rice./PN
