By Joseph B.A. Marzan
Iloilo Governor Arthur Defensor Jr. asked Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana to continue the suspension of the repatriations of Locally-Stranded Individuals (LSI) into the province amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) crisis.
In a letter dated July 15, 2020, Defensor requested for the further suspension of LSI return trips “until July 27, 2020 or until such time that we are able to execute intended additional protocols for the return of our LSIs”.
Lorenzana is the Chairperson of the National Task Force Against COVID-19.
The governor enumerated the following protocols in his letter:
– LSIs should be subject to Real Time – Reverse Transcription Polymerase Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) test before their travel;
– More stringent criteria as to avoid unintended migration; and
– Organized return of LSIs for better observation of social distancing at the point of origin and during the voyage, and for better anticipation and handling by local government units of their arrival and quarantine.
Defensor on Monday said the provincial government has been actively preparing for the resumption of LSI return trips through re-training of essential personnel.
He believes that the further suspension could provide the provincial government with more time for improvement.
“We could really use the additional time to mend and improve our quarantine facilities, for which we are now conducting an inventory of space, review of personnel capacity, and an adjustment of physical facilities,” the governor said in his letter.
The Iloilo Chapter of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines (LMP) on Tuesday also made the same appeal with national government authorities.
This, after 53 LSIs from the province tested positive for COVID-19, the highest so far for the said group.
In a press conference on Thursday, Defensor said that while he wished for all LSIs to be able to return, he wanted the situation in the province to improve.
“For our LSIs, I want to make this clear, first, is that we want our Ilonggo LSIs to go home whether they’re from Manila or Cebu. Second, if they are to go home, what we want, which is for their sake and the sake of their family in the province, the travel should be safe because this is a different time. We are in the middle of a pandemic. We are under quarantine, Metro Manila is under quarantine, Cebu is under quarantine, so the circumstances are different,” the governor said.
He said that he was only asking the national government for considerations to make sure that the return of the LSIs would be safe.
“We are asking for all considerations which we can ask from the national government. I’m not saying that all of it will be granted, but it had already happened with our [Overseas Filipino Workers]. When we asked for considerations, and the system of OFW repatriations became more organized and it became regular, everything went smoothly. We are asking for organization in their returns, because if it weren’t organized, it would be the same as before, no social distancing, and our LSIs and OFWs would be the first to be infected and we don’t want that,” he said.
