By Odessa Cruz
Eagle News Service correspondent
COTABATO CITY, Philippines (Eagle News) – At least 405 locally stranded individuals (LSIs) who were supposed to go home to the provinces of Basilan, Sulu and Tawi-Tawi (Basulta) found shelter in various COVID-19 isolation facilities in Maguindanao. The LSIs were initially ferried and abandoned in Cagayan de Oro City due to time constraint issues of the vessel that brought them to Mindanao.
The LSIs were given immediate assistance and subjected to Reverse Transcription-Polymerese Chain Reaction (RT-PCR) testing at Maguindanao’s prime COVID 19 isolation center inside Cotabato Sanitarium Hospital in Sultan Kudarat town, as soon as they disembarked from the 17 buses that fetched them in Cagayan de Oro City.
Lawyer Naguib Sinarimbo, Interior and local government minister of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM) said from the 257 RT-PCR results that were initially released, 79 LSIs came out positive of COVID 19.
“The remaining 148 others are still awaiting results,” said Sinarimbo, who is also the chief of the Bangsamoro Rapid Emergency Action on Disaster Incidence (READI), in a press conference here Monday.
Sinarimbo said they were informed of the infortune incident only on July 8, 2020, the day the LSIs were made to disembark at the CDO port as the vessel MV St. Pope of the privately owned 2GO shipping needed to unload cargoes.
Sinarimbo said they learned later that these LSIs were part of the government’s “Hatid Tulong Probinsya” led by the Presidential Management Staff, after a team from the Provincial Health Office of Lanao del Sur rushed to the aid of the stranded Basulta residents.
PMS Assistant Secretary Joseph Encabo earlier told newspaper agency Mindanews that the move of 2GO shipping to dock in CDO as they could no longer proceed to Zamboanga, the original point of destination, was explained to the LSIs.
“The initial plan was to bring the 405 LSIs to Zamboanga City aboard the 17 buses that we hired and compel the LGUs of Basilan Sulu and Tawi-tawi to fetch their own constituents. But because of strict conditions by the Zamboanga City LGU regarding the retrieval of our LSIs, this was not possible. So we decided to bring them here in Maguindanao,” Sinarimbo said.
-Food and assistance given to LSIs-
BARMM Social Service and Development Minister Raisa Jajurie said all 405 LSIs were given the necessary assistance when it comes to food and other personal necessities in the various isolation facilities.
These facilities include the Ministry of Public Works Equipment Pool Compound; the ARMM Integrated Agriculture Research Center Compound; Bangsamoro Leadership and Management Institution in Camp Darapanan; and the MILF’s Military Academy gym also in Camp Darapanan—all located in Sultan Kudarat town.
Jajurie said the first 79 LSIs who tested positive of COVID 19 are now confined and being closely monitored at the Sanitarium COVID 19 isolation center. Among them were seven children and one 62 year old female.
BARMM Regional Epidemiology and Surveillance Unit chief Dr. Ameril Usman said because of the possibility that these LSIs mingled with each other in various occasions starting from their point of origin in Metro Manila, all 405 of them, positive or negative of COVID 19, will undergo 14-day quarantine.
-Close monitoring during 14 day quarantine-
“They will be closely monitored for symptoms during the period since all of them are asymptomatic at present. If ever they displayed symptoms after the 14-day quarantine period, we will also treat them,” Usman said.
Only after the end of 14-day quarantine period and the LSIs tested negative of Corona Virus that they will be sent home through the commissioned navy vessels of the Western Mindanao Command, currently docked at the Polloc Port in Parang, Maguindanao, to their respective provinces.
Meanwhile, Jajurie expressed concerns as to how the BARMM government can provide for the basic necessities of all 405 LSIs.
“It is challenging since we thought it will be only for 3 days and now we will have to house them for 14 days. We will see about it,” Jajurie said.
For their part, the LSIs said the move of the BARMM to take care of their welfare is heart-warming.
Myrna Jo Henry, BARMM Readi Team leader who were among the first personnel to greet and accept the arriving LSIs at the Sanitarium Isolation facility compound, said the LSIs expressed hope and joy that they can finally return to their hometowns after being stranded for months in Metro Manila after the government imposed lockdowns.
One month old baby boy Abdulmutaal Almuqbli, with his mother Carminal, have celebrated their first month together at the isolation facility.
While traversing from CDO to Maguindanao, good Samaritans from the BARMM donated several baby essentials to Ms. Henry so he can have a comfortable stay while at the isolation facility.
Both the baby and his mother tested negative of COVID 19 based on the initial results that came out, Henry said.
(Eagle News Service)