Five (5) alleged “fake” locally stranded individuals (LSIs) are reportedly intercepted in Guindulman town and sent back to their origin in Cavite.
Reports reaching The Bohol Tribune say that 5 persons arrived in Ubay via Leyte on Monday, June 22, 2020.
Allegedly the 5 persons are LSIs who are bound to Guindulman and they claim they are from Barangay Canhaway, the report say.
The LSIs allegedly have complete documents including the travel authority issued by the Philippine National Police (PNP).
The LSIs, riding a red Hyundai vehicle with plate # MR4685 managed to travel from Ubay to Guindulman.
The Bohol Tribune obtained the identities of the alleged 5 LSIs who attempted to enter Guindulman.
According to the report, the alleged LSIs are identified as Alex Cesar Esquivel, Marites Gong, Maria Angelisa Gong, Mari Alendra Gong and Gabriel Herbert Gong.
However, the reports say that the local government unit (LGU) of Guindulman didn’t expect the alleged 5 LSis.
Upon reaching the checkpoint at Guindulman, the alleged “fake” LSIs were intercepted.
BACKSTORY
In a radio interview on Tuesday, June 23, 2020 over “Open Forum”, a staff of the Guindulman Municipal Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (MDRRMO) Darwin Tan, narrated the events to The Bohol Tribune.
He said that he and his team were expecting to fetch two (2) LSIs arriving via Ubay. They were surprised that another vehicle, a red Hyundai Eon, with 5 alleged LSIs on board, was also bound for Guindulman.
The persons who were on board the vehicle reportedly came from Cavite and passed through Leyte en route to Ubay, Tan said.
He said the driver of the car is fluent in Visayan, while the rest of the persons who were on board the vehicle knew some Visayan words but they spoke more in Tagalog.
Tan said that he was surprised because he and his team did not expect to fetch more than one vehicle, however, since the occupants of the red car claimed that they are bound for Guindulman, Tan just allowed them to follow.
On their way to Guindulman, Tan coordinated with the rest of the LGU Covid task force members to determine if the alleged LSIs are expected or not by the town government and if someone in Barangay Canhaway knows these LSIs.
The LSIs claim they were heading towards Canhaway, a barangay on Guindulman.
It was reported that while in transit to Guindulman, the arrival of the alleged LSIs was never coordinted with the LGU, Tan said.
Tan added that upon thorough investigation, no one in barangay Canhaway knew the alleged LSIs. For Tan, the information he obtained already raised a red flag.
Tan added that they accosted the alleged LSIs at the Guindulman checkpoint.
The quick decision making and action taken by Tan’s team and the Guindulman police chief Capt. Teofanes Olaso, prevented the stay of the alleged LSIs.
Tan coordinated with the rest of the LGU Covid
task force and finally, he was able to contact Guindulman mayor Maria Fe Piezas.
Tan said Piezas decided to push back the alleged LSIs to Ubay and then back to Leyte.
As of this writing, the 5 alleged LSIs were reported to have boarded a vessel back to Leyte after spending a night in an Ubay isolation center.
DECISIVE ACTION
Police provincial director Col. Joselito Clarito lauded the decisive call of Olaso preventing the entry of the alleged LSIs.
Clarito said that the Guindulman police managed to intercept the vehicle with 5 persons: a couple, two (2) children, and a driver.
He said the persons had proper documents except the clearance coming from the Bohol Inter Agency Task Force (B-IATF) and clearance from the LGU.
The Bohol police chief said the LGU officials and the police force were alarmed after learning that the alleged LSIs attempted to enter Guindulman even if they had no proper clearances.
For his part, Clarito cited that there is a need on the part of the LGU where the LSIs are originating, to coordinate with LGU where the LSIs will be arriving. This means to say that the sending LGU should coordinate with the receiving LGU.
However, Clarito cited the fact that LSIs don’t need a clearance coming from the provincial government or the receiving LGU.
It is unfortunate, Clarito said, that LSIs only need a medical certificate and the authority to travel from one area of the country to another.
Clarito said that the provincial government insists on issuing a clearance for the incoming LSIs from the receiving LGU. After all, it is the receiving LGU that will be fetching the LSIs from the seaport or airport and to be brought directly to the quarantine facility.
FAKE TRAVEL AUTHORITY?
Clarito said it is impossible that there is such thing as a “fake” travel authority given to LSIs.
He said those who are tasked to issue the travel authority are prudent enough to scrutinize the requirements of the LSIs so the latter can be allowed to travel.