Lawmaker wants quarantine centers set up in every LGU

FILE: The Ninoy Aquino Stadium at the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex will be operational as a COVID Health Facility by next week. (Photo: Mark Villar/Facebook)

MANILA – A party-list lawmaker on Thursday said each local government unit (LGU) should set up a quarantine center to accommodate the return to the provinces of repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) as well as locally stranded individuals (LSIs).

During a House hearing on the actions taken by the government to address the plight of LSIs amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) pandemic, Anakalusugan Party-list Rep. Mike Defensor said the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) should have a policy to facilitate the return of OFWs and LSIs to their places of origin while still following health protocols.

“It should not be individual assistance to each LGU. Dapat talaga may policy ang DILG (DILG should have a policy) for each LGU to set up a quarantine center,” Defensor said.

Defensor particularly noted that 100,000 more OFWs will likely return to the country in the coming months on top of thousands more of LSIs.

“There are additional OFWs coming here. Eto pong locally stranded natin nandyan na (The locally stranded individuals are already here). But there will be additional coming from other countries. And this should be a coordinated effort in terms of quarantine,” he said.

He added that local officials cannot deny the OFWs and LSIs of their right to return to their homes and loved ones.

“Because we cannot have people staying here in Manila against their will. We cannot have people staying here and exhausting the resources of government. And more importantly, yung right ng mga taong ito na makabalik sa kanilang mga pamilya ([we cannot deny] the right of these people to return to their families),” he said.

Malacañang, for its part, vowed to address the lapses in the implementation of the Hatid Tulong program after photos of LSIs cramming inside Rizal Memorial Stadium over the weekend drew flak from the public.

Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque explained that over-crowding in the stadium was due to the unexpected influx of LSIs who failed to register their intention to be sent home.

However, Roque said the government has taken note of criticism over LSIs cramming inside the stadium and will prevent this from happening in the future.

He also reiterated the order of President Rodrigo Duterte to prioritize the return of all LSIs amid the limited public transportation available due to the Covid-19 pandemic.