INTERIOR Secretary Eduardo Año yesterday said the government is planning to put up multiple jump-off points for locally-stranded individuals in Metro Manila who wants to return to the provinces.
Año said this is intended to prevent a repeat of what happened late last week when thousands of LSIs camped at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex, compromising physical distancing, as they waited for their transport to their hometowns under the Hatid Tulong program.
As of Tuesday, 20 LSIs have tested positive for COVID-19, according to reports.
“What the Hatid Tulong program is planning next time is by region, different jumping off sites so there won’t be mass gathering,” said Año, adding each jump-off site will attend to LSIs on a per region basis.
“If they are going to five regions, we are going to prepare five sites so that there would no cramming,” he said, adding this is the “best arrangement” to prevent large numbers of people converging in one area.
The Inter-agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases is also looking into the possible dispatch of LSIs per region to avoid a repeat of the overcrowding at send-off venues and disregard of health protocols.
“There was already an initial proposal of the Technical Working Group to somehow open the regional routes for LSIs,” said Hatid Tulong Lead Convenor and Presidential Management Staff Assistant Secretary Joseph Encabo.
The government is bringing back to the provinces some 6,000 LSIs this week. Some 3,600 were sent home over the weekend and some 1,200 others were sent on on Monday.
The rest, mostly bound for Caraga and Zamboanga regions, were set to be sent to their provinces starting Tuesday.
Enacbo said a total of 126,000 LSIs had been sent home to the provinces through the Hatid Tulong program. — With Jocelyn Montemayor
