At least 54 Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) coming from parts of Cebu were transported back to their hometowns in Mindanao in May through mercy voyages coordinated by several government agencies. | Photos courtesy of OPAV
CEBU CITY, Philippines — Ben Caidisio, 35, traveled to Cebu City to work.
Almost a month after the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine here on March 28, the company located at the Asia Town IT Park where he used to work for ceased its operations.
Caisidio, 35, said that he is barely left with food to eat after being unemployed for two months now.
“We came here (Cebu City) to work to help our families and most if not all of us have lost our jobs. We have not received any aid at all as most barangay officials do not recognize us as a priority as we are not Cebu natives,” he said.
He said that while he already started to comply with requirements for his travel back home to Bacolod City in Negros Occidental, the processing of his papers was suspended after Cebu City was again placed under ECQ starting on June 16.
Read: It’s back to ECQ for Cebu City
“Due to ECQ, our requirements are delayed, some have focal persons but they cannot repatriate us due to restrictions. Most of us have lost our jobs, are going hungry, and need to pay rent,” he said.
Caisidio, who is now staying on his rented place in Barangay Apas, is just one of the more than 200 LSIs, who remain stranded in Cebu City.
In their open letter which Caisidio posted on Facebook late night on Monday, June 22, 2020, group members said they need help from both the national and local governments.
Most of these SLIs are from Negros Oriental and Occidental, Iloilo, Surigao, Leyte, Misamis Oriental, and other provinces in Mindanao.
Caisidio said that most of them were already in contact with their respective Local Government Units (LGUs). They were already awaiting the release of their travel papers when the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) announced the suspension of LSI travels to and from Cebu City.
Read: Shipping companies cancel passenger admission amid ‘travel ban’ to and from Cebu City
While he awaits the lifting of the travel ban, Caisidio said he is also faced with a problem on where to get money for his rental and meals. Other SLIs also share in his dilemma.
“Dili man pud kami tanan matagaan og hinabang gikan sa barangay ang ubang barangays dili man mi iconsider as residents,” said Caisido in a phone interview with CDN Digital.
(Not all of us are getting help from the barangays where we live because we are not registered residents.)
Caisidio said that the best way to address their misery is to already allow SLIs like him to travel back home to their families.
If their immediate departure was not possible, Caisidio is appealing for relief goods from the Cebu City government to help them survive in the coming days.
“We have suffered so much here due to this pandemic: financially, emotionally, and mentally. Do you want us to end up on the streets with nothing? We would rather not end up as a mere “number” for positive cases or worse just ‘one more COVID casualty’. We implore you do not let us reach that point in a place far from our loved ones,” the group said in their open letter. /dcb