Eastern Visayas solons call for review of 'Hatid Probinsya' program amid rising COVID-19 cases

Twelve lawmakers from Eastern Visayas have called for a review of the government's "Hatid Probinsya" program amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the region.

In a joint statement issued on Thursday, the lawmakers led by Majority Leader and First District Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez raised alarm over the increasing number of COVID-19 cases in Eastern Visayas over the past few days.

READ: Solons from Eastern Visayas call for review of “Hatid Probinsya” program amid the rising number of COVID-19 cases in the region. @gmanews pic.twitter.com/LxEn4GLg1v

— Erwin Colcol (@erwincolcol) June 18, 2020

Citing information from the Department of Health (DOH), 68 new cases of COVID-19 were reported in the region on June 13 --- the highest record since the first case was reported in Catarman, Northern Samar on March 23 --- bringing the number of confirmed cases to 200.

"Official records show that the rapid increase in the number of COVID-19 cases was observed shortly after the national government implemented its Hatid Probinsya Program," the lawmakers said.

"Most of those who tested positive were returning residents, who were previously locally stranded in Metro Manila for days. Some were overseas Filipino workers who also got stranded in Metro Manila after returning from work abroad," they added.

While the returning residents are welcome to go back to their home provinces in Eastern Visayas, the lawmakers said it is the responsibility of the government to ensure that they are free from COVID-19 infections and other diseases.

"In this light, we join our constituents in calling for a review of the Hatid Probinsya program and the health protocols being implemented for locally stranded individuals bound for return to the provinces," the lawmakers said.

"Specifically, we strongly urge the responsible national government agencies to immediately require, strictly monitor, and continually evaluate responsive health assessment procedures to effectively mitigate the risk and avoid the further spread of COVID-19 to the provinces," he added.

At the same time, the lawmakers called on the DOH to reinforce its regional office in Eastern Visayas to be more effective in containing the spread of COVID-19 in Leyte and Samar provinces.

Moreover, the lawmakers also appealed the national government to increase the funding for various programs, projects and activities in the region to ramp up its COVID-10 response, such as to:

• Ensure availability of supplies such as PPE (500,000 units for the next three months) and essential kits
• Allocate funding complement for municipal quarantine centers
• Reinforce contact tracing capability in the region
• Set up a regional processing center for returning residents in Tacloban and alternate processing centers in other secondary airports/seaports
• Intensify telehealth medicine and use of digital platform for health services
• Strengthen the complementation of DOH, LGU and RHU roles and duties
• Widen and intensify IEC campaign on COVID-19 prevention and control
• Guarantee the protection and safety of medical frontline personnel
• Prepare an Integrated COVID-19 Regional Response Plan
• Facilitate the release of funds allocated under the 2020 General Appropriations Act for healthcare-related and other essential infrastructure projects

“We pray that our plan for collective action to contain the spread of COVID-19 disease in Eastern Visayas will come into fruition the soonest time possible,” the lawmakers said.

“Time is of the essence. We do not need another epicenter of COVID-19. Not in Eastern Visayas. Not in any part of the country," they added.

Apart from Romualdez, lawmakers who signed the joint statement are Tingog party-list Rep. Yedda Marie K. Romualdez, Northern Samar 1st District Rep. Paul Ruiz Daza, Northern Samar 2nd District Rep. Jose L. Ong Jr., Leyte 3rd District Rep. Vicente Veloso III, Western Samar 1st District Rep. Edgar Mary S. Sarmiento, Leyte 4th District Rep. Lucy Torres-Gomez, Western Samar 2nd District Rep. Sharee Ann T. Tan, Leyte 5th District Rep. Carl Nicolas C. Cari, Eastern Samar Lone District Rep. Maria Fe R. Abunda Southern Leyte Lone District Rep. Roger G. Mercado, and Biliran Lone District Rep. Gerardo J. Espina Jr. --KBK, GMA News