“Isabela City is a trailblazer in Covid response” is the unanimous observation of the Regional Task Force IX (RTF IX) COVID-19 CODE Team at the CODE Team Townhall Consultation held at the Sangguniang Panlungsod Hall, City Hall Complex, this City on November 6, 2020.
Using an assessment tool in the monitoring and evaluation of LGUs, CODE Team lauded the Isabela City Anti-COVID-19 Task Force spearheaded by Mayor Sitti Djalia A. Turabin-Hataman for Isabela City’s compliance to regional and national policies and guidelines as well as best practices in the execution of prompt health response and implementation of local-based initiatives.
Dr. Mohrein Ismael VI, City Health Officer and CDRRMO head Jamju Rivera presented the Isabela City COVID-19 Situationer citing the status of confirmed cases with 91.8 percent recovery rate and merely a 5.7 percent rate of active cases as of November 04, 2020. It was also observed that timely intervention and quick decision-making were brought about by an efficient database management. During the presentation of the strategies implemented by the City of Isabela, the team also lauded the quick specimen transport, fast report submission and referral systems set by the Local Task Force in accordance with the policy guideline and close coordination of the LGU with different concerned government agencies.
Recognized as well during the assessment is the city’s swift action in handling Brgy. Diki when the same was placed under localized community quarantine, in accordance with national protocols on granulated lockdowns. Isabela City Anti-COVID-19 Task Force immediately imposed Localized ECQ on Diki Barangay, Purok 2 and 3 when the confirmed active cases reached 22 on August 23, 2020 and lifted the order 15 days thereafter.
Other programs highlighted during the assessment include Isabela City’s Balikbayani Program, Task Force Jaga, training on mental health and stress debriefing among frontliners, Psychosocial therapy spearheaded by NGOs Bascomnet, Nagdilaab and Isabela Foundation with a 24-hour hotline available for the general public, Palengke Tour, community seedlings distribution,strengthened information awareness campaign through activation of City’s Barangay Information Officers Network (Isabela City is said to be the first LGU to organize the network), distribution of health and safety guideline print and non-print IEC materials on radio and local TV network. Mayor Sitti Djalia A. Hataman was also lauded in her support to DepEd’s learning continuity program through the launching of the HAPIsabela Teledukasyon and provision of Special Education Fund (SEF) to DepEd Isabela City.
Meanwhile, Manuel Luis Ochotorena, Regional Director of the Office of the Civil Defense and head of the Regional Task Force IX stressed the important role of LGU in coming up with strategies to effectively address the growing threat brought by the COVID-19 pandemic. He concluded that LGU-Isabela City has astoundingly passed the assessment with flying colors and its best practices can stand as a model guide to other LGUs in its implementation of their respective COVID-19 strategies and response.
With Chairman Ochotorena were other members of the CODE Team including DILG-IX Regional Director Faizal Abutazil, DOST-IX Regional Director Martin A. Wee, DOLE-IX Assistant Regional Director Imelda F. Gatino, DepEd-IX Assistant Regional Director Pedro Natividad, DOH-IX RESU Head Dr. Dennis Antonio Dacayanan, PIA-IX represented by Nhilda delos Reyes, DOT-IX represented by Wenceslao Galeza and DTI-IX represented by Ric Mathew Garcia.
Also in attendance were Basilan Rep. Mujiv Hataman, Vice Mayor Kifli Salliman and members of the Isabela City COVID-19 Task Force.
