Palace: 85% of LGUs compliant with DOH rule on handling PUMs, PUIs

MANILA, Philippines — At least 85 percent of local government units (LGUs) nationwide have complied with the Department of Health (DOH) guidelines in handling people suspected of having the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19), President Rodrigo Duterte told Congress.

In his second report on the use of his additional powers that Congress granted him to address the COVID-19 crisis, Duterte said 1,465 LGUs are compliant with DOH’s directive on the handling of persons under investigation (PUIs) and monitoring (PUMs) for COVID-19 as of April 2.

“Additionally, 83% or a total of 1,419 LGUs have utilized their Quick Response Fund to assist indigent families and persons earning minimum wage under their respective localities,” Duterte noted in his 22-page report.

Duterte has placed the entire country under a state of calamity in light of the health crisis, allowing LGUs to access their quick response funds to fight the contagion and extend help to their constituents. A state of national emergency was likewise eventually declared by Congress due to rising cases of COVID-19.

He likewise noted that LGUs in Luzon are “largely compliant” with the guidelines set by the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases in identifying state-owned facilities that may be converted into temporary or quarantine facilities.

As of April 2, a total of 12,324 barangays have already designated Barangay Isolation Units or Barangay Special Care Facilities that will temporarily house PUIs in their respective jurisdictions.

The President has placed the entire Luzon island under a month-long enhanced community quarantine, shutting down public transportation and strictly enforcing the home quarantine. The measure has already been extended until April 30.

As of Monday afternoon, the Philippines has 3,660 confirmed cases of the respiratory disease, 163 of whom have died while 73 recovered.

KGA