Mayor Evelio Leonardia stressed on Wednesday the need to institute more stringent health protocols for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) returning here to prevent the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).
During the #LagingHandaPH public briefing, Leonardia appealed to concerned national government agencies to ensure that OFWs are cleared of Covid-19 infection before they are allowed to travel back to the provinces.
“We just would like to have some caution here. We, in Bacolod, have our own experience. Last week, we received 28 OFWs. Out of the 28, four tested positive in the rapid test,” he said.
The OFWs traveled to Bacolod aboard the “Malasakit Voyage” arranged by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).
Leonardia said Bacolod is enforcing its health protocols, which include a 14-day mandatory quarantine in the city’s patient care center and a swab test.
“We will not allow quarantine in their homes because that is very impractical and very dangerous,” he added.
Leonardia was among the local government officials invited during the online briefing presented by the Presidential Communications Operations Office as an inter-agency effort to bring up-to-date and detailed information about the Covid-19 pandemic in the country.
He also responded to the query of Secretary Martin Andanar on the importance of the role of local government units (LGUs) in the implementation of the National Action Plans (NAP) against Covid-19.
“The LGUs are supposed to be the structure that could facilitate the implementation of whatever plans the national government has. This is massive. This is all-over. This is the mechanism and the structure through which the national government can effectively and efficiently implement all its plans,” he said.
On Tuesday, Leonardia, League of the Cities of the Philippines (LCP) national president, raised the matter of the health protocols to Secretary Carlito Galvez Jr, chief implementer of the National Task Force Against Covid-19.
Galvez was the guest resource speaker at the special online meeting of the expanded National Executive Board of Union of Local Authorities of the Philippines (ULAP). He gave a presentation on “The Role of LGUs in Advancing the NAP vs. Covid-19.”
Leonardia, ULAP interim executive vice president, asked Galvez on the plans of the national government to ensure access of OFWs and returning residents to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) testing before returning to their homes.
Galvez said that local government units (LGUs) have the prerogative on the health protocols to enforce since they know their constituents best. (Nanette Guadalquiver ndb via pna)