By Emme Rose Santiagudo
In a seemingly thickening plot, authorities revealed that the Bureau of Fire Protection (BFP) Region 6 purportedly threw a “despedida” or farewell party in Boracay Island in Malay, Aklan amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
But what makes the story fishier is the fact that one of the BFP personnel present in the party tested positive for COVID-19.
According to Madel Joy Tayco, Nurse II of the Malay Municipal Health and spokesperson of the Malay inter-agency task force, the COVID-19 positive BFP officer stayed in a hotel in Boracay from June 12-14, 2020. The same hotel also hosted the purported party.
“Dumating siya sa Boracay nung June 12 and dun din siya nag-stay sa hotel until June 14 where dun rin nangyari yung alleged party. The Malay PNP rolled out an investigation and kinausap yung hotel management,” Tayco told Daily Guardian in a phone interview on Wednesday.
Tayco said the hotel employees are now in facility quarantine and will undergone confirmatory testing, including the 53 moderate and high-risk individuals who had exposure to the COVID-19 positive BFP officer.
NO PERMIT
Tourism Sec. Bernadette Romulo-Puyat also confirmed that the BFP personnel organized a despedida party while in Boracay.
Puyat said that the DOT will revoke the hotel’s license after it accommodated the BFP employees despite the lack of certificate to operate from the tourism department.
“Walang certificate to operate noon at magbubukas pa lang ang Boracay on June 16 so bawal. Ang nakakagalit ay alam naman nila na bawal at nagsabi pa na kasama daw namin eh umalis na kami noon. 24 silang pumunta. Bawal ‘yon,” she said in a news report by ABS-CBN.
The tourism secretary expressed her dismay for the breach of the quarantine protocols in the world-famous Boracay Island that was only reopened for domestic tourists in Western Visayas on June 16.
“Nakakainis kasi excited na lahat ng taga-Boracay na magbubukas na sila for Western Visayas. Lahat nag-co-comply. Ingat na ingat sila sa protocols ‘tas mangyayari ito dahil sa kapabayaan dahil sa gusto lang nilang mag-party,” she said.
UNDER FIRE
BFP has been under fire for alleged breach of quarantine protocols and the lack of coordination with local government units (LGUs).
The 26-year-old female BFP personnel who tested positive for COVID-19 (WV Patient No. 144) arrived in Iloilo City from Cebu last June 6. She was quarantined at Go Hotels-Iloilo City.
DOH-6 said the patient falsely declared her travel history as she first claimed that she was a locally stranded individual (LSI).
She also failed to coordinate with the city government and was pulled out by one of her acquaintances for active duty at the BFP Regional and Iloilo City Central Office on June 9.
The local government of Malay has also confirmed that the BFP personnel went to Boracay Island on June 12, 2020 via Tabon-Tambisaan Ports to attend a conference based on her port manifesto.
The conference that the BFP personnel referred to was the meeting of national government officials in Boracay from June 11-12.
She departed Malay on June 13 and her COVID positive result was released June 14.
According to Tayco, they only learned via online reports on June 15 that the COVID infected personnel indeed went to Boracay.
Tayco said that the Provincial Health Office (PHO) of Aklan tried to reach out to the BFP to seek more information about the patient but received no information until now.
“The problem is, according to PHO, they have not received any information from the BFP. We also tried to contact the agency and BFP to get some information but we have not received information until now,” she said.
Using their resources and port manifestos, Tayco said they traced 58 individuals who had exposure to the BFP officer.
“Out of the 58 individuals, 53 are considered moderate and high-risk and were subjected to facility and home quarantine. They will be subjected to a confirmatory testing tomorrow,” she said.
Tayco admitted that their operations and the reopening of Boracay were severely affected because of the incident.
“Naperwisyo kami. Supposed to be, we should be focused on monitoring our locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) but this happened. We did not receive any information even from the patient herself. Wala na sana kaming active cases since May 5 and no local transmission. We wanted to maintain the status,” she said.
COMPLAINT
Meanwhile, Tayco said Acting Malay Mayor Frolibar Bautista will send a letter-complaint to the Regional Inter-Agency Task Force (RIATF) for COVID-19 against the BFP personnel who allegedly breached quarantine protocols in Malay.
In Iloilo City, Mayor Jerry Treñas said he is also preparing complaints against the BFP to be lodged before the regional and national IATF.
“Gapreparar sila statement [BFP] because they know cases will be filed against them both by the city government of Iloilo ad the provincial government of Aklan and the municipality of Malay. I assure everyone ginahulat ko na lang ang report from PNP because that will be part of my complaint which I will be filing with the national and local IATF,” he said in a press conference on Wednesday.
The Iloilo City government also conducted mass testing on 291 personnel of the BFP Regional and Iloilo City Office who had exposure to the confirmed case.
VALIDATION
On the other hand, the Department of Health – Center for Health Development Western Visayas (DOH-CHD 6) is also validating the reports on the alleged breach of quarantine protocols of the BFP.
According to Dr. Marlyn Convocar, DOH-CHD 6 regional director, the Boracay itinerary was not mentioned by the BFP in the incident report that was submitted to the health department.
“We have to validate the reports especially the one that happened in Boracay. The details are still shaky. But they can face sanctions if there is really proof that they violated the protocol,” Convocar said in a press conference on Wednesday.
The DOH-CHD-6 regional director emphasized the need for proper coordination between the agencies involved and the concerned LGUs.
“Proper coordination is really important because it has an implication sa aton tourism industry especially if she has a history of travel in Boracay and also ang mga contacts niya diri sa BFP nga naka-travel naman so it is really important that we have a very stringent contact tracing,” she stressed.
