CAGAYAN DE ORO, Philippines – Provincial officials of Misamis Oriental said they are prepared to welcome stranded residents and overseas workers returning to their hometowns.
Lawyer Jeffrey Saclot, spokesperson of the Misamis Oriental Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force on the Covid-19 pandemic, assured residents that local government units are all set with quarantine facilities for the local stranded residents and overseas workers who are returning after months of lockdown.
Saclot said quarantine facilities have been set up in each of the 23 municipalities and two cities in the province, including isolation units for those who might test positive from the coronavirus.
The province has already reported 1,799 arrivals from stranded persons and overseas workers, who began arriving by boat since May 19 and by plane since May 25.
There have been six reported cases of Covid-19 in the province after spending months of being free from the infection with the border lockdown and quarantine.
Most of the cases are recorded in Gingogg with three. Two cases, a 30-year old man and his one-year old child, were asymptomatic but both have already recovered. They arrived with the patient’s wife from Tondo, Manila on June 10
The other case from Gingoog is a 22-year old man who arrived from Cebu City on June 19.
Despite this, Gingoog Mayor Erick Cañoa, said the city has the capacity to accommodate incoming residents and treat them in facilities.
“We have prepared for the new arrivals. We will heartily accept them because they are from Gingoog,” he said.
Rey Buhisan, mayor of Magsaysay and the chapter president of the League of Municipalities of the Philippines Misamis Oriental, said it has been a challenge for local government units to swiftly facilitate returning residents despite the limited resources.
He noted that his town, Magsaysay, is 180 kilometers away from the airport in Laguindingan town.
“With the limited resources that we have, we are trying our best to sustain our support to our returning residents. And once they are PUM [persons under monitoring], we will support them through food assistance,” he added. (davaotoday.com)
