DOTr mulls ‘Hatid-Estudyante’ program

The Department of Transportation (DOTr) on Tuesday said it is eyeing a program which will assist students nationwide, who are stranded due to the implementation of the enhanced community quarantine, to safely return to their homes.

The scheme, which will be called the “Hatid Estudyante” program, will be proposed to the Inter-Agency Task Force on the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID), the DOTr said in a statement.

Under the program, the DOTr intends to coordinate the safe return of students, who are now stranded in their campuses, apartments, and dormitories, to their respective hometowns and provinces.

“Gagawa ‘ho kami ng isang programa upang matulungan itong mga stranded na estudyante na makakabalik sa kanilang mga probinsiya. Gagawin po namin ‘yan. Once approved by the IATF, we will immediately launch this program. Thus, we are already preparing,” Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade said.

Tugade has assigned Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) General Manager Jay Santiago, Undersecretary for Aviation and Airports Manuel Antonio Tamayo, and Assistant Secretary For Road Transport and Infrastructure Mark de Leon to supervise and implement the program.

“We will be starting this Hatid-Estudyante Program for these stranded students and come up with an online platform for them to enroll in the program so that we will know how many we need to ferry and to what locations,” Santiago said.

To initiate the process, the DOTr has set up an online enrollment platform where the stranded students may send the needed information such as their personal details, current location, destination, health declaration, school ID or proof of enrollment and parental consent if minor to be tested for COVID-19.

“To sign up, students should log on to: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSet1crSBtMzGxi2dsClS__VzFUdbrwX0mqD3dPcAndztjGXZg/viewform and fill in the required information, and supply the necessary documents,” the DOTr said.

The data will be collated and categorized, and shall be used to determine the feasibility of the program, for eventual presentation to the IATF for approval, it said.

“Let us take care of the stranded students and bring them home through air, land and sea travel. Kawawa naman sila. Intindihin natin ang hirap kung tayo ang nasa kalagayan nila. Pag-isipan natin kung paano natin sila matutulungan,” Tugade said. — RSJ, GMA News