Gullas to DOH: ‘Talisay has 43 recoveries, not zero’

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Talisay City Mayor Gerald Anthony Gullas hopes the Department of Health (DOH) will revisit the city’s cases of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) and see that they have 43 recoveries to date, contrary to the “zero recovery” as reflected on the agency’s tracker, which was posted on Facebook by  National Task Force Advisor Dr. Tony Leachon.

In an interview this afternoon, June 16, 2020, Gullas said he called up NTF Chief Implementer Sec. Carlito Galvez Jr., past midnight earlier following the declaration that Talisay City has been reverted to modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ).

“Nagkastorya mi unya ako siya gipangutana unsa ang basis for the decision and he said it was data given by the DOH. I saw data being posted on Facebook today and one of the main decisions is because we have zero recoveries in the city of Talisay. I would like to correct that,” Gullas told CDN Digital.

The latest COVID-19 data that Gullas posted on his Facebook page this Tuesday, June 16, reflects a total of 118 cases. Of these,  59 are active cases with 16 deaths and 43 recoveries.

“I will bring this data up, clear this up with DOH, and with the help of [Governor Gwendolyn Garcia] maybe they can look at the new data because they made the decision saying we have zero recoveries,” Gullas said.

The mayor admitted that he was surprised when Secretary Francisco Duque III read a recommendation during the televised Interagency Task Force (IATF) meeting shortly before midnight to place the Talisay City under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ) and Cebu City under ECQ, while the rest of Cebu is under general community quarantine.

Leachon, on his Facebook page, said this morning that it may be prudent to place Talisay City under MECQ due to contiguity or the geographical location of the city which borders with Cebu City, which is considered as the “epicenter” of the infection here.

Updates on Cebu other areas. We will try to help in any way to address this crisis. READ. Please look at the growth…

Posted by Dr. Tony Leachon on Monday, June 15, 2020

“Of course, I was surprised because there are other cities that have more cases than [Talisay City] and are under GCQ. I really though lung unsay sitwasyon sa ubang syudad nga nagkasaka ang cases sama kanako, mapareho unta,” Gullas said.

READ: Gullas to Talisaynons: I’m sorry we have to go through this again

While Talisay City is under MECQ, the cities of Mandaue and Lapu-Lapu, which have 445 and 201 cases, respectively, are both under GCQ.

Leachon, however, explained that the two highly urbanized cities have lower growth rates of COVID-19 cases hence, the decision to retain them under GCQ. /bmjo