TUBOD, Lanao del Norte (PIA) – The Provincial Government of Lanao del Norte met with its municipal mayors, health officers, Doctors to the Barrio, Dr. Jovette S. Guinal of the Provincial Department of Health Office, and Department of the Interior and Local Government Provincial Director Bruce A. Colao to discuss prevailing issues regarding the influx of Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) and retuning Overseas Filipinos (ROFs) and the concern in sustaining the health, security, and safety of the general populace from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
Governor Imelda Quibranza-Dimaporo in her opening statement said the Province of Lanao del Norte will remain under Modified General Community Quarantine (MGCQ) and the implementing guidelines of Executive Order No. 14 are still in effect, as well as its amended provisions through Executive Order No. 16.
The Provincial Chief Executive expressed her gratitude to the municipal mayors for actively supporting the Provincial Government by working closely with the Incident Management Team in the fight against the unseen enemy. She also appealed to those representing their mayors to cascade what has been discussed and agreed upon in the meeting.
One of the concerns discussed was the increasing number of individuals infected with COVID-19, mostly locally stranded and Overseas Filipino Workers returning to the province. This has brought fear and anxiety to the local government units as it has been observed and recorded that the influx of LSIs and OFWs has not helped flatten the curve, instead it has swelled to an alarming rate.
In support of the call of President Rodrigo Roa Duterte to accommodate the LSIs and OFWs who wished to come home to their respective provinces, Governor Dimaporo offered to the Municipal Mayors that the Provincial Government of Lanao del Norte after conducting the first mandatory rapid test will quarantine the LSIs and OFWs who are found to be Igm positive at the provincial isolation facilities. They will undergo the confirmatory test by taking swab samples for PCR testing. And if found negative in the PCR test, and after 14 days, the said LSIs and OFWs will submit again for the second rapid testing to ensure they are free from COVID-19, before they will be reintegrated back to the community and their family.
The Provincial Chief Executive earnestly called for unity and support from the Municipal Mayors, Municipal Health Officers, and all concerned agencies of the government, as well as from the private sectors by fostering a much-needed cohesive and responsive partnership with the provincial government through the Incident Management Team in a collaborative and coordinated effort to curtail the spread of COVID-19.
Moreover, she expressed gratitude to President Duterte through the Office of Senator Bong Go for incessantly assisting the Provincial Government of Lanao del Norte in the fight against COVID-19.
The meeting was held at the Mindanao Civic Center Gymnasium, Tubod, on July 1, 2020, and was also attended by Provincial Administrator and the IMT Deputy Responsible Officer Ms. Sittie Aminah Quibranza Dimaporo, PIO Officer and IMT Incident Commander Lyndon G. Calica, PHO Officer and IMT Deputy Incident Commander Dr. Teresa M. Reponte, the Provincial Legal Officer Atty. Mark Christopher A. Babor, and other officers of the Incident Management Team. (PIO-LDN/PIA ICIC)