Lignes says El Salvador has enough funds for Covid-19 response till December

By Jigger J. Jerusalem, Correspondent .

EL Salvador City has enough funds to sustain its Covid-19 response until December, Mayor Edgar Lignes said yesterday.

Lignes said they still have available funds which will be taken from the re-aligned 20 percent development fund.

He said the city has a P510-million budget for this year, and P540 million for 2021.

The mayor said he has allocated P5 million for El Salvador’s Covid-19 response for next year.

He added the city government has already spent 95 percent of the P35-million Bayanihan grant from the national government.

He said the bulk of the Bayanihan grant and the city’s own funds was spent on food packages given to most of the residents. El Salvador has about 56,000 inhabitants.

Lignes said the provincial government of Misamis Oriental also gave El Salvador P1 million in assistance, which was used to construct isolation rooms for Covid-19 suspected cases and patients, as well as in the purchase of rapid test kits and protective personal equipment.

For his part, Agripino Estrada Jr., El Salvador vice mayor, said they will approve any proposal for inclusion of Covid-19 response funds in the annual budget for 2021.

Estrada added the city council will begin budget deliberation anytime this month.

As of Sept. 30, Misamis Oriental has a cumulative 404 confirmed Covid-19 cases, with 206 active, 195 recovered, and three deaths.

El Salvador has 20 cases, with 12 active cases, and eight recoveries.

Of the 12 patients positive with Covid-19, three are confined at the Northern Mindanao Medical Center, while nine are staying at the city’s isolation facilities since they did not manifest any symptoms.

Meanwhile, Lignes said has approved the re-opening of some of the city’s tourist attractions with the basic health protocols still in effect.

Recently re-opened is the Divine Mercy Shrine, one of the most visited religious sites in Northern Mindanao.

He said the shrine’s management has implemented the 50-percent capacity of visitors as precautionary measure against Covid-19 pandemic.

The nine-hectare Divine Mercy Shrine is located on the hill overlooking Macajalar Bay in Barangay Ulaliman, El Salvador.

In the past few years, hundreds of thousands of people have visited the site even before it was packaged by tourism authorities as one of the must-go places for those who are into “faith tourism.”

He said the Divine Mercy’s church can accommodate 3,500 people, although not many people are going to this tourist destination at present due to the threat of virus infection.

Also considered as an attraction at the Divine Mercy is the 50-foot statue of Jesus Christ.

Aside from the religious shrine, Lignes said the city government has also approved the re-opening of beaches, but not swimming pools.

Among those back in operation, he said, is the Burias Shoal Marine Sanctuary in Barangay Molugan.

“We have limited the number of beach goers who can go to the Burias Shoal. We have Bantay Dagat volunteers who keep watch and ensure that health protocols are followed,” Lignes said.

The shoal was a beneficiary of a corporate social responsibility initiative of communications company Huawei, which partnered with Save Philippine Seas for a joint environmental advocacy project last year.

News reports said the protection effort is part of Huawei’s campaign to share its information and communication technology solutions to protect and preserve natural resources in the Philippines.

Maj. Patrick Dalangin, El Salvador city police chief, said he has deployed units to patrol tourism sites that have recently opened, especially at the Divine Mercy.

“We have security measure at the shrine. We have assigned a mobile patrol at the road intersection going to the Divine Mercy, which will also enter the shrine from time to time, so that they can immediately respond to any call for assistance,” Dalangin said.