Leonardia Appeals To NIATF To Further Suspend OFW And LSI Homecoming

Mayor Evelio Leonardia recently submitted an urgent appeal to the National Inter-Agency Task Force (NIATF) to suspend the further repatriation of Bacolodnon OFWs and LSIs to the City until further advice from the Bacolod LGU.

Leonardia cited the growing number of locally transmitted COVID infections, which in a span of just one week, or from August 16 to August 23, rose from 513 to 900 cases or an increase of 75%.

“We have also been informed last Sunday, all the 7 hospitals in Bacolod have already refused to receive any more COVID patients citing that they are already full. This is quite alarming,” Leonardia said.

The situation in the hospitals have also worsened because their medical staff is starting to deplete. Many of them have been quarantined for having tested positive for the virus and have not returned to work yet, while a number have also resigned or gone AWOL.

While some hospitals may still have some COVID beds that are available, there are no doctors and nurses to take care of them, thus, additional patients are refused admission, Leonardia said.

In just the past 2 days [Aug 22-23], 400 Bacolodnon OFWs arrived by sea and by air, with more to arrive in the next days and weeks.

Historically, actual experience shows that about 8-10% of them will eventually test positive.

That means we are looking at 40 more possible COVID patients, some of whom may need hospital confinement, Leonardia further explained. “We cannot break the back of our hospitals with more COVID patients,” he said.

Leonardia also cited that with the massive testing for 5,000 Bacolod residents this coming weekend, it is expected that a minimum 500 of them may also test positive.

Mild cases will have to be accommodated in our isolation facilities in public schools but the moderate to serious ones would need hospital care.
Considering the confluence of all these circumstances, we cannot presently receive more OFWs and LSIs into our City until the local infection situation is under better control, Leonardia said.

Hopefully, we can be open to them again, after a month, he added.

Meanwhile, Leonardia has appealed to barangay captains and kagawads to convince their constituents to be tested for coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Leonardia emphasized to the barangay captains that they have to convince their constituents to participate in the mass testing, which is free of charge courtesy of the national government, because this is one effective way to identify, trace, isolate, and treat carriers of the virus, slow down the spread of this deadly disease, and protect the families in their barangays.

“I beg you all; let’s do our best to convince the people to participate in this mass testing. This is a pre-emptive strike against the virus because, among others, we hope to catch those who feel no symptoms for it but are actually positive. These are the ones who roam around freely and spread the infection or bring it home to their families without even knowing it,” Leonardia explained to the barangay officials during a virtual meeting recently.

The mayor made the appeal in light of the scheduled “O-Plan: One-Time, Big-Time Mass Testing” on August 28 -31, that was initiated by the Provincial Government of Negros Occidental, to cover a testing population of 10,000 – 5,000 of which will be residents of Bacolod City and the remaining 5,000 to come from the cities of Silay, Talisay, and Bago, and the town of Murcia.

RT-PCR tests are scheduled on August 28-29 for Bacolod residents. Those from Silay, Talisay, Bago, and Murcia will have their swab tests on August 30-31.

The City Health Office (CHO) will choose the 5,000 Bacolod residents with the help of the barangay captains who will initially identify them according to priority guidelines of the DOH for covid testing.

Joining the online meeting with the barangay captains were Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, chair of the local IATF; Councilor Cindy Rojas, who chairs the Action Team on Non-OFW Returning Residents; Councilor Renecito Novero, chair of Quarantine Centers Action Team; Councilor Lady Gles Pallen, president of Liga ng mga Barangay; City Health Officer Dr. Ma. Carmela Gensoli, Dr. Grace Tan and Dr. Anna Maria Laarni Pornan, both of the City Health Office (CHO).

Leonardia first agreed to participate in this mass testing dubbed “O-Plan: One-Time, Big-Time Mass Testing” Program in a previous online meeting held recently with former Congressman Albee Benitez and other officials of Negros Occidental.

Benitez conceptualized the program and organized it with the Provincial Government.

Benitez said that the mass testing is designed to identify carriers who are not swabbed or tested because of “slow” or non-proactive testing strategy.

Negros Occidental has the most number of RT-PCR testing laboratories, which makes the conduct of mass testing possible, said Benitez. There are currently five operational laboratories in the province and in Bacolod City, which will all be involved to speed up the processing of the swab specimens so the results can be released in 24 to 48 hours.

“At the moment, the doubling time for Negros Occidental and Bacolod City is less than two weeks. So you can imagine that every month, a 200% rate increase will happen in the province,” Benitez said.

He added: “If we don’t do something, that 200% will rise to 300 or 400, then we will have a big problem.”

While waiting for the swab test results which Benitez said they will try to get within 24 to 48 hours, a lockdown in the LGUs participating in this mass testing will be implemented to limit the movement of people from August 28-31. The cities and towns involved will be issuing their own Executive Orders for this lockdown. (News and photo by Bacolod City Public Information Office)