Ormoc City Mayor Richard Gomez took to social media to express his dismay against the three government agencies—the Department of Interior and Local Government, National Housing Authority, and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration—for allowing the ‘returning residents’ to fly back to Leyte province through the Balik Probisya Program without following the standard health protocols against COVID-19; and without proper coordination with the local government units.
Through Facebook, Gomez, on May 25, shared that much to his surprise, he was told via SMS to accept the “undocumented” and “untested” returnees (Overseas Filipino Workers) who came from ‘who-knows-where’ into Ormoc.
However, this concerns him as it might ruin the local government’s effort to keeping the city COVID-free for more than 70 days.
He wrote: “DILG, NHA, OWWA, what happened to all the protocols that you guys are trying to formulate for returning residents?!!!
“I just would like to share what is happening right now about this Balik Probinsya program.
This morning the DILG regional office and OWWA texted, “texted”, us informing us that there are 3 planes arriving in Tacloban and telling us to receive them without following [COVID] protocols, undocumented and untested,” the 54-year-old mayor added.
Ormoc City is currently under general community quarantine until May 31. He said, “We have kept our city [COVID-free] for more than 70 days [because] of strict border controls and implementation of health protocols. Then here comes a TEXT from the National government agencies telling us that there are repatriates coming in our city and telling us to accept them?!”
He also hit the government agencies concerned for ignoring the health protocols to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus disease.
“What happened to all the protocols that we’ve been working on? What happened [to] their protocols that they have been telling us to do if they themselves are not doing the right thing?!
“It only takes one infected person to get to our city to infect a hundred innocent people [because] of carelessness from the national government agencies,” stated in the post.
Furthermore, the actor-politician went on with his tirades wondering what and how the government’s task force will respond at this very urgent time.
“Where is the [National] Task Force [COVID] Shield and the IATF in all of these?!!!” he ended.
https://www.facebook.com/richard.g.gomez.1/posts/10222603850234905
Based on the government coronavirus task force’s Resolution No. 30 and the Department of Health’s Memorandum No. 2020-0200, OFWs are subject to mandatory testing in Manila and quarantine first, before being allowed to travel back to their home provinces.
