The second and third batches of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) from Manila arrive at the Port of Tagbilaran in Bohol on Tuesday, July 28, 2020, on board Coast Guard Vessels BRP Gabriela Silang and BRP Cabra. | Photo from PCG-7 via Rosalie Abatayo
Cebu City, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor Joel Garganera, the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) czar of Interagency Task Force (IATF) in Cebu City, revealed that 18,000 locally stranded individuals (LSIs) in Cebu City may be able to go home by August 2020.
Garganera said that there are 18,000 pending travel authority applications to be released by August 1, 2020, and the IATF is now preparing for the possible flocking of these stranded individuals at the ports.
With this, the councilor said the challenge lies on how to transport these individuals back to their hometowns, considering that the ships can only carry half capacity in accordance to the health protocols against the spread of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).
“So magdasok gyod na. Mao na kagahapon nagmeeting mi kuyog sa Cebu City Transportation Office (CCTO), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine National Police (PNP), unsaon namo pagpahiluna ang mga LSI,” he said.
(We expect them to flock. This is why I called a meeting with the CCTO, PNP, and PCG on how we will manage the LSIs.)
The Provincial Government has also promised to help manage the stranded individuals going to their hometowns.
The agencies agreed that the LSIs must be brought to the ports by bus from their homes. The LSI must already have a ticket before going to the port because only those with tickets are allowed to enter the port compound.
Garganera urged the shipping companies to open up their online portals to the LSIs so they can buy their tickets through their cellphones or computers instead of buying at the ticket office.
The EOC will be finalizing the details of the LSIs’ “exodus” in a meeting on July 29, 2020. The councilor said the health of the LSIs and the people around them is a top priority. /bmjo
Read: Gov’t to provide aid for LSIs in Cebu City