Albur town mayor Don Ritchie Buates explains his town government’s decision to accept the five (5) personnel of the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) as locally stranded individuals (LSI) and placed under quarantine in a private facility in the said town.
Buates gave the explanation in a radio interview over dyTR’s Open Forum on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021.
He explained that his administration issued a letter of acceptance to the people concerned out of consideration after he was asked by a PPA official to issue the certificates of acceptance. The mayor said that this PPA official is from Albur who lives in a barangay close to the barangay where the mayor lives.
The mayor also said that his action is an offshoot of the BAYANIHAN, WE HEAL AS ONE. He also stressed that he was just helping the PPA employees who are supposed to be helped since they are government officials whose time to serve should not be delayed.
It can be remembered that five PPA personnel entered Bohol with incomplete papers. Prior to their arrival, they were unable to secure a letter of acceptance from the receiving local government unit (LGU) in this case, the city of Tagbilaran.
The personnel were in danger of being sent back to Cebu where they originated if they were unable to get letters of acceptance.
Buates agreed to accept the personnel to help the latter who are government employees.
However, as these personnel did not undergo the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, LGU Alburquerque classified them as locally stranded individuals (LSI) instead of considering them as an authorized person outside of residence (APOR).
Buates said he is unsure whether or not the personnel are from Bohol. He only knows that the PPA employees arrived from Cebu.
Moreover, Buates insisted that the PPA employees who arrived from Cebu fall under the category of LSI and not APOR.
Based on definitions, an APOR is a government official or employee or a private business person or worker assigned to perform work or transact business in a pre-determined area in the province. Prior to arrival in Bohol, an APOR needs to secure a negative PCR test taken 72 hours prior before arrival.
Meanwhile, an LSI is a returning Boholano resident returning home after getting stranded in another place. An LSI does not need to obtain a PCR test prior to arrival but needs to undergo a 14-day quarantine in a quarantine facility.
Both APOR and LSI need to secure a letter of acceptance prior to arrival, per protocol imposed by the executive orders of Gov. Arthur Yap.