The provincial health authorities are putting special focus on the northern towns of Bohol, in order to curb the spread of Covid infection, and also to find out its source as the coronavirus disease (Covid) cases are on the rise there.
This is the pronouncement of Dr. Cesar Tomas Lopez, spokesman of the Bohol Inter Agency Task Force (B-IATF) in his daily virtual presser on Wednesday, August 19, 2020.
He said the recent cases, including the Covid-related mortality number, are coming from the towns of Talibon, Bien Unido, Danao and Buenavista, all located in the northern part of the province.
“One aspect our epidemiologist is looking at kay kabahin sa most plausible source of infection in that area (northern part of Bohol),” Lopez told the public in the said virtual presser.
In another presser on Thursday, August 20, 2020, Lopez said that illegal entry into Bohol (could also be) “probably the cause” of infection affecting the northern part of Bohol.
He mentioned that it is also possible that local island residents are making unauthorized travels to other places via sea in order to sell their catch, and upon their return to their place, they bring the possibility of close contacts with probable virus carriers from the other places.
Bohol, despite being under modified general community quarantine, still prohibits unauthorized travel to and from the province, via sea or air, except
for overseas Filipino workers (OFW), locally stranded individuals (LSI) and authorized persons outside residence (APOR) based on Executive Order (EO) No. 33 and extended by EO No. 39 of Gov. Arthur Yap.
Even if the OFWs, LSIs or APOR are allowed to travel into Bohol, they need to coordinate with their respective local government unit so they can be placed under quarantine upon their arrival, as mandated by EO No. 33.
Lopez did not say in utmost certainty that illegal entry into Bohol or unauthorized contact of local residents with residents from other areas like Cebu is the cause of the spread of infection leading to community transmission.
As of press time, five (5) of seven (7) fatalities recorded in Bohol are from the second district. The other two (2) fatalities were from the town of Calape, located in the first district of the province, based on the data of the B-IATF.
As of this writing, the towns of Danao, San Miguel, Buenavista, Bien Unido, and San Miguel each has recorded one (1) Covid-related fatality. All of these towns are from the second district.
Mreover, there have been at least 16 active community transmission cases recorded from Malingin Island, Bien Unido; while there are three (3) community transmission cases recorded in Ubay and in San Miguel towns. There is one (1) community transmission case from Ubay. On the other hand, there are two (2) community transmission cases from San Miguel town as of Thursday, August 20, 2020.
PROTECTING THE BORDERS
In a meeting on Thursday, second district Rep. Erico Aristotle Aumentado together with Gov. Yap, met with second district town mayors in Ubay town. The meeting discussed the need for a plan on how to protect Bohol’s northern borders from illegal entry and the possibility of bringing the Covid virus from other places into Bohol.
The governor shared with the mayors the discussion of the Bohol Inter Agency Task Force (B-IATF) security cluster about the need for the police force to establish their presence and the need for monitoring in the coastal barangays. The Capitol media says the police in the province headed by Col. Joselito Clarito will draft an operational plan to ensure the security in Bohol’s coastal areas.
The governor has already asked the police to coordinate with the mayors as there is a need to deploy more police personnel to the islands, together with other maritime forces such as the Bantay Dagat and the Philippine Coast Guard.
“We have to protect northern Bohol tungod sa sige’g pagtabok gihapon, in and out, sa mga tawo didto,” the governor said during the meeting.
Yap, according to the Capitol media, suggested that the police need to patrol the islands, as he shared what former Getafe mayor Cary Camacho had told him some time ago that people from the islands continue to travel to and from Cebu. In many instances the people traveling can be seen in the middle of the sea exchanging some things. The governor said that Getafe Mayor Casey Shaun Camacho and his brother, former mayor, Cary, told him that legal cases should be filed against these people.
“I said we will support. But after you file a case and you imprison them, how many will you imprison? That is the question. That will be a problem kung mapuno pod ang mga prisohan sa mga tao,” according to the governor.
The governor recommends that “maybe there should be a very strict plan to send more police forces, coast guard also, and the army to protect the coast”.
When the governor asked the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) to come up with a program to protect northern Bohol, the latter included in the plan, a request for additional support for gasoline expenses.
This is what the governor explained as to why it is better to provide additional support for the gasoline expenses of the PCG: “Miingon man ko nga pwede man. Tungod kay kung di naman gastuhan ug gasoline ug pagkaon karon, gastohan naman nimo pag naa nay matakdan, dili ba? Kung mo-spend for the quarantine later, it’s the same, mogasto gihapon. So, I told the coast guard, it’s also a way na makatabang ko tungod kay kung naa nay infection, natakdan na, it becomes a municipal expense. If the coast guard is asking for gasoline expenses for monitoring the sea, at least it is provincial expense. So, at least matabangan nato sa pagpanggasto ang atong local governments”.