At least 54 Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) in various parts of Cebu have been transported back to their hometowns in Mindanao on Sunday, May 24 through mercy voyages coordinated by several government agencies. | Photo courtesy of OPAV
CEBU CITY, Philippines — At least 54 Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) in Cebu were sent to their hometowns in Mindanao on Sunday, May 24.
A report from the Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) posted on Facebook stated that these 54 LSIs have been spending more than two months in Cebu due to lockdowns in most parts of the country.
“The declaration of community quarantines and lockdowns throughout the country for the past two months, including the prohibition on inter-island travel, has hampered many Filipinos from going back to their home provinces,” OPAV said.
The stranded individuals boarded a ship at Ouano Wharf in Mandaue City that will take them to the port of Cagayan de Oro City. From Cagayan De Oro City, OPAV said, they would then be ferried back to their hometowns and cities.
Of the 54, 51 of them are bound for Davao City while two others in Kidapawan City and one for Samal Island.
“(OPAV), through Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino, and the Office of Senator Bong Go (SBG) together with the guidance of President Rodrigo Duterte, and Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte spearheaded the return of these stranded individuals back to various provinces in Mindanao,” the post said.
Other national government agencies that assisted the transportation of the LSIs were the Philippine Coast Guard, Maritime Industry Authority, Department of Social Welfare and Development, Department of Interior and Local Government, Philippine National Police, and the Department of Health. /dbs