LSIs, OFWs overwhelm LGU isolation facilities

By Emme Rose Santiagudo

As more repatriates and stranded individuals return to Western Visayas, local government units (LGUs) are also struggling to accommodate individuals who need quarantine in their limited isolation facilities.

In the town of Concepcion, Iloilo, the local government admitted that their dedicated isolation facilities were overwhelmed with the recent surge of the returning locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

“Right now, we are overwhelmed sa mga ga-alabot na LSIs and OFWs. As of Friday, we added 18 more individuals in our quarantine facility which already had 43 [occupants], so now we have 61 under quarantine,” Concepcion Mayor Raul Banias told Daily Guardian in a phone interview on Saturday.

According to Banias, their town is using the unoccupied units of the National Housing Authority (NHA) project as quarantine facilities which only have 50 rooms.

“Ang amon 50-room capacity is already full. We can hardly manage and now we already had 61 repatriates undergoing quarantine,” he said.

To accommodate the 61 repatriates, Banias said they resorted to room-sharing for individuals who are about to finish their 14-day quarantine.

“Ang mga manug-guwa na for the next few days na wala man may namanifest na symptoms amo na ginadoble namon ang tawo sa isa ka balay,” he said.

Banias said that they already advised the provincial government that their town can no longer accommodate additional LSIs.

But according to Banias they were advised by the national authorities to receive additional repatriates who departed from Manila on Friday.

“As far as my town is concerned, sobra na kami we already advised the provincial government na indi anay ami kabaton LSIs. But the government advised na may maabot na barko and they appealed to receive tungod sa situation didto,” he said.

“Nakulbaan man kami because these new arrivals haven’t been tested. I am inclined to the idea that sooner than later may ara gid ma-positive because of the influx of returning individuals from high-risk areas like Manila and Cebu.”

On Friday, Presidential Spokesperson Secretary Harry Roque announced the departure of two 2Go passenger ships bound for Bacolod, Iloilo, and Cagayan de Oro.

According to Roque, this will be the last the last batch of LSIs that will be allowed to return to their respective hometowns.

“We further wish to state that this will be the last batch of LSIs that will be allowed to return to their respective hometowns until we subject them to real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) tests. We ask the receiving local government units to administer RT-PCR tests in their areas if possible; and subject the returnees to quarantine,” he said in a statement.

More than half, or 56 percent, of the dedicated temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMFs) for repatriates in the region, have already been occupied, according to the Department of Health-Center for Health Development Western Visayas (DOH-CHD 6).

As of Friday, 2,973 beds of the 213 facilities (with 5,007 bed-capacity) have been occupied by the repatriates.

Meanwhile, Banias appealed for coordination from national authorities especially on the repatriation of LSIs and OFWs.

He reiterated that the authorities should inform them in advance so they can better prepare their facilities.

“Ang amon request sa national Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and whoever ang in charge sa pagbalik nila, tell us in advance. Apparently, ang coordination has already broken down, we know naoverhelm gid ang tawo ta sa Manila but if they can inform us ahead, we can be better prepared,” Banias said.

Banias said around 30 OFWs and LSIs have each received PHP2,000 and a sack of rice after they complied with the 14-day quarantine amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic.

“We are considering their situation that they have been quarantined,” Banias said on Saturday.