By Froilan Gallardo, Special Correspondent .
DEFENSE Secretary Delfin Lorenzana pulled the plug on returning residents in Lanao del Sur after the "Hatid Probunsiya" program threatened to overwhelm health workers there.
Lorenzana, who heads the Covid-19 National Task Force, informed Lanao del Sur Gov. Mamintal Adiong that his request for the suspension of repatriation of "Locally Stranded Individuals" (LSIs) has been approved for 15 days.
The suspension became effective on July 1 until July 15.
Gov. Adiong earlier asked the Covid-19 National Inter-Agency Task Force to put a stop on the flow of returning residents after it peaked to 100 to 200 people a day.
“We are only capable of handling 50 to 70 returning residents a day. How can we attend to them if they come in big numbers? “ Lanao del Sur Inter-Agency Task Force focal person Sheila Ganda said.
“Just the other day, there were 400 arrivals. Our front liners nearly collapsed out of exhaustion,” she said.
Ganda said many residents who have fled Lanao del Sur during the Marawi siege in 2017 are returning because of the economic hardships in Manila due to the lockdown, the longest in Asia.
She said they have only limited number of professional health workers and volunteers who serve as their front liners.
Bangsamoro Parliament Member and Lanao del Sur IATF spokesperson Zia Alonto Adiong said the high number of returning residents found to be positive of Covid-19 also threatened the capacity of the provincial quarantine facility in Barangay Sagonsongan, Marawi City.
As of 8 am July 6, the Lanao del Sur IATF reported there are 110 cumulative coronavirus cases among the returning residents.
Adiong said 80 of residents have recovered and were sent home leaving 30 residents in the quarantine facility in Sagonsongan.
Adiong said they will use the 15-day suspension to review and improve the local heath emergency response for the returning residents.
