Secure contingency plans for disasters amid Covid-19: DILG-10

NORTHERN Mindanao Interior and Local Government department (DILG)-10 is urging all local government units to secure contingency plans for the natural calamities and disasters amidst the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (Covid-19) scare.

"We encourage our LGUs to strategize especially those with flood or landslide prone areas," said DILG-10 assistant regional director Yvette Tolentino-Sunga Monday.

She said they should build separate isolation facilities using the Bayanihan Grant fund.

With the threats of natural calamities and disasters, DILG-10 is urging all LGUs to have their own contingency plans,said during the Normin COVID-19 response task force press briefing, Monday.

"As well as to revisit their evacuation centers, which are now used as isolation facilities," Sunga said.

Sunga also suggested that LGUs could tap private companies in their areas with unutilized spaces to convert such into isolation units. 

DILG-10 also looks closely into the financial health of LGUs especially now that the country faces successive natural disasters. 

"We are requesting the LGUs to revisit their evacuation centers since we simply could not mix up those in the isolation centers to other residents who needed aid from the government," Sunga added. 

The department is also currently working on identifying Convergence Areas for Peace and Development (CAPDev) to determine necessary government interventions needed in an area.

As for handling of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs), Sunga said the Memorandum Circular 2020-087 did not specify assistance or food provision for LSIs/ROFs in isolation units. 

"Thus, the LGUs have the discretion whether or not to shoulder all expenses for the meals of LSIs/ROFs in isolation units," the assistant regional director said.

Sunga added that the public should also understand that the resources of LGUs are already depleted especially with the interventions done to contain the spread of COVID-19. 

As of November 3, there are a total of 5,174 confirmed cases of COVID-19 in northern Mindanao, wherein 2,984 have recovered, 139 expired, and 2,051 are recovering. (Recthie Tolinero/PIA10)