by Ardy Batoy & Dave Albarado
Mayor Leonila Montero is standing firm on her stance that anyone who wants to use Panglao
facilities as quarantine sites should follow the rules and regulations implemented by the local
government unit (LGU).
She is taking a firmer stand in order to protect Panglao from possible local transmission of
the Covid virus.
The premise of the mayor’s stance is simple: coordinate with the LGU and respect the town’s
rules.
Yesterday, 51 OFWs arrived from Cebu and are now billeted at The Story Resort in
barangay Danao in Panglao.
As the OFWs settle in their “home” for the next 14 days, the town mayor refused to give an
inch and insisted that her rules as stipulated in Executive Order (EO) No. 16, be obeyed.
After all, the EO is meant to protect the interest of not just the LGU and the people of
Panglao, but also the interests of the resort owners, resort employees, and even the OFWs
themselves, Montero told The Bohol Tribune in a telephone interview.
She added that among her motivations in coming up with the EO is to show her townmates
that she is indeed concerned about their general well-being and welfare.
In the same interview, Montero said that the EO is all about coordination.
The lady mayor added that it is proper for the LGU to have the last say on the choice of
quarantine site as the town government is the most knowledgeable when it comes to the
best place to be used as a quarantine facility.
Unlike the incident of May 2, yesterday’s event was better coordinated with the LGU,
Montero said.
The Bohol Tribune learned from sources that the transfer of 25 OFWs from Royal Coast Inn,
formerly Crabhouse, to the Roman Empire resort in Panglao was never coordinated properly
with the Panglao LGU.
The Municipal Health Officer Dr. Julita Cogo was not even informed about the May 2 transfer
from Tagbilaran to Panglao, according to sources. The medical doctor who accompanied the
May 2 transferees from the Crabhouse to the Roman Empire, is not from Panglao and never
coordinated with Dr. Julita Cogo. When asked why the coordination between doctors was not
observed, the doctor (who is not from Panglao) allegedly was heard as saying, “Gisugo ra
man gud pud ko ani.”
Montero’s EO No. 16 is an offshoot of the incident on May 2. The EO is a collection of rules
and regulations on the smooth operation of quarantine sites and to protect the people’s
general welfare and well-being.
The rules are also meant to prevent lapses in the different protocols as laid out in the EO No.
28 of the provincial government.
In a recent radio interview, Montero bared that open air buses were used to transport the
OFWs. When asked about the open air buses, Dr. Jeff Ong of the Technical Working Group
said that the open air buses are better than airconditioned ones in order for the virus, if there
is any, not to concentrate inside the bus. This way, transmission of the disease is lesser.
However, the buses that were used to transport the latest batch of OFWs yesterday from the
seaport to Panglao were airconditioned vehicles. .
Mayor Montero also disclosed in the same radio interview that the OFWs who were
transferred from the Crabhouse to the Roman Empire kept on using their mobile phones
upon arrival in Panglao. She added that a little later, she saw people, presumably rrelatives
who came to get what she believed were “pasalubongs” from the returning OFWs.
Clearly, it was a violation of some protocols and upon hearing this, Dr. Jefferson Ong, the
president of Bohol Medical Society said that if true, the “pasalubong” incident should not
have been tolerated in the first place.
In an interview over The Bohol Tribune’s radio program called “Open Forum” last
Wednesday, Ong explained the virus may spread more efficiently in an air conditioned
environment.
The irony is: the Bohol Tribune saw photos of the buses used to transport the 51 OFWs
yesterday and as stated earlier in this news, the buses were air conditioned.
Nonetheless, Montero does not want an opportunity to arise that may lead to possible
violations of the protocols. As a result, the town came up with stricter measures which are
incorporated in EO 16.
Another rationale behind the crafting of EO No. 16 is to assert that only resorts with business
permits should be considered as a candidate for the quarantine site.
Montero mentioned to The Bohol Tribune that the OFWs’ stay in Panglao is good for the
local economy as resorts can earn at a time when the tourism industry has been on a
standstill for weeks now due to the imposition of the Community Quarantine.
However, any economic benefit should not supersede the general welfare and well-being of
the people, Montero added.
EXECUTIVE ORDER NO. 16
The repatriation of OFWs can no longer be avoided.
President Duterte, on May 4, warned LGUs who will refuse to accept OFWs back may face
sanctions.
With the situation. Montero signed EO No. 16 that aims to provide the rules on the
quarantine site operation at the same time mandate protocols on the humane treatment of
those who are placed under quarantine without violating basic rules on social distancing.
The salient features of the EO are as follows:
SECTION 1. STRICTER PROTOCOL FOR QUARANTINE OF OFWs. – To preserve and
safeguard the health and economic environment of Panglao, Bohol, the following protocol for
the 14-day Quarantine of OFWs in duly designated hotels/resorts in the municipality must be
strictly observed:
a. Under pain of revocation of the business license of non compliant operators, The Panglao-
LGU shall have the final say on the designation and/or availability of a “quarantine
hotel/resort” for OFWs, taking into account its strategic location as not to endanger the health
and sanitation as well as the economic well-being of the resort industry in the municipality.
b. For this purpose, the hotel/resort shall provide the Inter-Agency Task Force of Panglao
with a list of employees who will serve during the 14-day quarantine period including their
addresses and personal information for contact tracing, prior to the LGU approval as a
“quarantine hotel”.
c. The hotel/resort accommodation financial arrangements shall be between the concerned
governmental agency and the hotel/resort operators.
d. Food preparation, distribution, and meal arrangements:
- All meals shall be packed and shall be placed by service providers at the entrance of the
hotel/resort where it shall be picked by a designated staff from the inside who will then do the
distribution of the packed meals by leaving it outside the door of each OFW. - After every meal, the OFW shall place the styro trays outside for pick up by designated hotel staff
wearing proper disposable gloves and PPEs which shall be properly disposed of after every use. - No sharing of utensils, trays and cups are allowed.
e. Well Being and Health Monitoring of OFWs: - All OFWs under quarantine are advised to have a thirty (30) minute daily physical exercise
to boost up their health and morale inside their designated room only. - The OFWs shall be monitored twice daily by a representative of the Provincial Health
Office/Municipal Health Office to check their temperature as well as any signs and symptoms of
cough, coryza, diarrhea and shortness of breath.
f. Room Accommodation and Maintenance - The cleaning and disinfection of their rooms shall be the responsibility of the respective
OFW/occupant who will be supplied with a disinfectant solution (1 part bleach to 99 part
water) by the hotel/resort management. - A garbage bin with a plastic garbage bag shall be provided in every room and all garbage
shall be collected by a designated hotel staff outside the rooms every 3 p.m. daily. All
garbage collected shall be disinfected and transported to the municipal recovery facility for
proper disposal. - The OFW/Occupant may wash their clothes inside their bathroom using regular laundry
soap and hang inside the bathroom or in some regulated instances, under the heat of the
sun. - All luggage of the OFW shall be kept inside their room and strictly remain there during the
period of their quarantine (sending it home in advance is not allowed).
g. The following must be strictly observed: - Social Distancing (observe at least 2 meter distance)
- Proper hand washing
- Cough Etiquette (DOH protocol)
- Personal Hygiene (Keep fresh and clean)
- NO VISITOR IS ALLOWED.
h. Facemask – All OFWs shall wear facemask at all times they are outside their respective
room. A disposable facemask shall be provided by the hotel management and shall be
replaced daily.
I. PROTOCOLS FOR ALL PERSONS INVOLVED IN THE HOTEL
QUARANTINE OPERATION - All employees involved in the quarantine operations shall wear facemask at all times in
addition to gloves and PPES as may be required in their assigned task. - They are strictly subjected to the same 14 day quarantine protocol and shall restrain
themselves from unnecessary interaction and getting outside the quarantine premises as
well as observe the above-stated safe distancing, sanitation and other protocols. - Hotel management is mandated to provide free adequate food and room accommodation to their
employees involved in the quarantine operations as well as to double the salary of the concerned
personnel plus 4 hours overtime with pay which they may charge to the proper governmental agency
as part of their quarantine accommodation contract.
j. SECURITY – Members of the PNP and the AFP, to be assisted by barangay tanods and
auxiliaries as force multipliers, shall be assigned outside all entrances and exits of the
“quarantine hotel/resort” on a 24/7 schedule. The PNP-Panglao Chief of Police shall take
charge of the deployment of personnel for this purpose. They shall all be provided with meals
by the LGU-Panglao.
k. STRICT ADHERENCE TO THE FOREGOING PROTOCOL IS REQUIRED.
l. PENALTIES – Failure and/or refusal to follow the foregoing protocols under this Executive
Order shall be subjected to a fine ranging from P3,000 to P5,000 or imprisonment not
exceeding six (6) months or both at the discretion of the Court, without prejudice to the
revocation of the business permit for the erring “quarantine hotel/resort.”
Section 2. SEPARABILITY CLAUSE. If any of this Executive Order is declared invalid or
unconstitutional, other provisions not affected thereby shall remain valid and subsisting.
Section 3. REPEALING CLAUSE. Executive Orders, rules and regulations or parts thereof, which
are inconsistent or in conflict with the provision of this Order, are hereby repealed or modified
accordingly.
Section 4. The above provisions shall be subject to daily monitoring and re-assessment by
the Panglao Inter-Agency Task Force and shall be in accordance with the proclamation of
the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) and national
agencies.
Section 5. EFFECTIVITY. This Executive Order shall take effect immediately upon signing.