The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) has released a memorandum halting the movement of the locally stranded individuals (LSIs) coming from Cebu City.
DILG regional director Leocadio Trovela said in an advisory dated June 19, 2020: “The movement of locally stranded individuals coming from and going to Cebu City, which is under Enhanced Community Quarantine, will not be allowed temporarily”
Trovela said the memorandum is based on the directive relayed to him by DILG Sec. Eduardo Año.
This is because Cebu City is under Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ) from June 15 to June 30, 2020 per the national Inter Agency Task Force (IATF), the reports say.
The latest advisory from DILG is a complete departure from what the agency firm said about the movement of the LSIs last week.
Trovela, in a letter dated June 17, 2020, sent to all provincial, and city DILG directors, and local government focal persons handling the LSIs said, “The implementation of ECO limits the movement of all residences, suspends the operation of public transport, and prompts LGUs to establish active border control points, all of which create unintended consequences in cross-border movements and thereby leaves many inadvertently stranded.”
Trovela added: “These consequences gave impetus to the issuance of the Operations Guidelines on the Management of Locally Stranded Individuals on 13 May 2020 through the National Task Force Against COVID-19 Order No, 2020-002. “2020 -002. The Order, as enunciated in its rationale, provides the interim guidelines for the cross-border management of LSIs so they may be able to return to their respective residences amid ECO implementation.”
Trovela continued by saying; “Premises considered, this Office would like to clarify that the interzonal movement of LSIs with complete documents from areas placed under ECQ, particularly Cebu City, shall continue and remain unhampered, without prejudice to any regulations and policies which the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) may later issue.”
As this develops, Provincial Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (PDRRMO) head Dr. Anthony Damalerio told The Bohol Tribune in a telephone interview on Monday, June 22, 2020, Bohol has been refusing LSIs from Cebu City since Saturday, June 20, 2020.
In a related development, the Philippine National Police (PNP) in a memorandum dated June 19, 2020, said the “issuance of travel authority for (locally stranded) individuals traveling to and from Cebu City and Talisay City has been suspended except for emergency travel.”
“Likewise, locally stranded individuals (LSI) are not allowed to travel to the said cities,” the memorandum, signed by Major General Emmanuel Licup, said.
For his part, Dr. Cesar Tomas Lopez, Capitol spokesperson for Covid-related matters said, LSIs need to get two documents, a medical certificate and a travel authority, prior to travel to Bohol.
The PNP is the agency that provides a travel authority to the returning LSI, Lopez said.