Stranded in the stadium: Palace admits lapses, lack of system

Inquirer File Photo

MANILA, Philippines — Lapses were committed in the government’s management of thousands of locally stranded individuals (LSIs) at Rizal Memorial Sports Complex in Manila, Malacañang admitted on Tuesday.

“I would be blind if I will say there were no errors there. There were lapses,’’ presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said. “There should have been a system, that even though there were many people at the Rizal Memorial Coliseum, social distancing should have been ensured.”

He appealed to the public to understand the plight of the stranded Filipinos who wanted to avail themselves of the government’s Hatid Tulong program so that they could go home to their provinces.

The Palace official made the remarks amid criticism of the Hatid Tulong program after photographs of people crowding Rizal Memorial Sports Complex without enough physical distancing went viral on social media. Some were seen outside the stadium enduring the heat and rain.

Hatid Tulong is the government’s transportation assistance to ferry stranded Filipinos to their home provinces amid the new coronavirus pandemic.

9 COVID positive

Even the Department of Health (DOH) had lamented the lack of physical distancing in the management of stranded people at the sports complex, which placed them at risk of infection from the coronavirus.

So far, nine people at the stadium have tested positive for COVID-19 in rapid antibody tests conducted by the organizers.

Roque said he would discuss possible measures to improve Hatid Tulong with the program’s executive director, Assistant Secretary Joseph Encabo.

At least 2,000 still at stadium

In a statement on Tuesday, the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) said 4,793 people had been transported back to their provinces over the past three days.

But at least 2,000 more remained at the sports stadium, the DILG said.

The people who could not be accommodated because of quarantine restrictions in their destinations were transported to a temporary shelter in San Jose del Monte, Bulacan, he added.

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año assured the remaining people in the stadium who are bound for Zamboanga, Butuan and Davao that they would be sent home by Thursday.

Jump-off points by region

In a radio dzMM interview, Año said the government would look for various jump-off points to avoid a repeat of the congestion at the sports complex.

“The Hatid Tulong program is planning to have it by region next time and to have different jumping-off sites to avoid congestion,” he said.

“If they are going to five regions, we will prepare five sites to avoid congestion,” he added.

All screened, tested

Año assured the public that those who tested positive had been brought to an isolation center for medical treatment. He said those who tested negative were issued travel authority and were sent back home.

Año reiterated that all stranded had been screened by the DOH and had undergone rapid test before they were allowed to travel.

“Before boarding, the LSIs received additional aid, such as food packages and financial assistance from the Department of Social Welfare and Development, and the Department of Agriculture,” he said.

Walk-in LSIs

DILG spokesperson Jonathan Malaya explained that the congestion in the stadium was due to the “huge influx of people over the weekend and the unexpected number of walk-in applicants.”

“They came in droves many days before the sendoff because they all wanted to avail themselves of the free ride back to their home provinces and many did not preregister,” Malaya said.

“The important thing is we did not leave them on the streets to fend for themselves. We had to make the best of a difficult thing and accommodated them inside the Rizal stadium, making our best effort to ensure that they observe minimum health protocols,” he added.

Aside from the stranded, Malaya said those who trooped to the Rizal stadium were people who lost their homes and jobs due to the pandemic.

“The government cannot turn its back on them because we are all victims of this pandemic. What is important is the government acted decisively and assisted them in their time of need,” he said. INQ