PRESIDENTIAL Management Staff assistant secretary and Hatid Tulong initiative convenor Joseph Encabo yesterday said the program sending locally stranded individuals to Eastern Visayas and the provinces of Masbate and Romblon has been temporarily suspended because the quarantine facilities in those areas are full.
Enacbo, in a text message, said the Hatid Tulong technical working group “will abide” by the decision of the local government units concerned to temporarily stop accepting the LSIs.
In a radio interview, he said the Hatid Tulong TWG will continue coordinating with the LGUs to they can the LSIs home as soon as the moratorium is lifted.
The regional Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging and Infectious Diseases issued a resolution last week asking the national IATF for a one month moratorium on the sending of LSIs to six provinces in Eastern Visayas, namely, Biliran, Eastern Samar, Leyte, Northern Samar, Samar, and Southern Leyte. The resolution was based on the call of the LGUs concerned.
He said they will use the moratorium to ensure the safety and proper disinfection of vehicles being used in transporting LSIs as well as the well-being of the drivers and crews assisting the LSI during their trips.
Encabo said there are still more than 250 LSIs in Metro Manila waiting to be transported to their provinces. He said they are staying with relatives and friends or at a government temporary shelter where they are provided food.