‘If you cannot feed us, free us’ – Cebu City village residents

FIGHTING VIRUS Health workers wearing personal protective equipment collect specimens from residents in Cebu City so these can be tested for the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Cebu City has reverted to an enhanced community quarantine status as COVID-19 cases continue to increase. —PHOTO COURTESY OF CEBU CITY PUBLIC INFORMATION OFFICE

CEBU CITY, Cebu, Philippines —A streamer displayed by residents of Sitio Alaska in the village of Mambaling here says it all: “If you cannot feed us, free us.”

Alaska has been on a localized lockdown since May 6 as the number of cases of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the subvillage increased.

Cebu City is the only local government in the country that remains to be under an enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) due to rising number of COVID-19 cases that has burdened local hospitals.

Anne Marie Palomo, a village councilor of Mambaling, said that while households affected by the lockdown could endure the inconvenience, they could not bear seeing family members going hungry amid dwindling food supply.

“If this concern is not addressed by the honorable mayor, I fear that our people will not die of COVID-19 but of hunger,” said Palomo in a recorded video which she posted on her social media page.

The Inquirer tried but failed to reach Mayor Edgardo Labella on Wednesday for a statement on the plight of Alaska residents.

Back to work

Palomo appealed to Labella to update residents on the status of the lockdown which has affected around 20,000 people.

On June 6, Labella said the situation in Alaska, which has more than 600 COVID-19 cases, was already being assessed by the City Health Department.

The residents, however, wanted the city government to lift the lockdown in Alaska so they could go back to work and buy essentials, according to Palomo.

“When will [the lockdown] be lifted? What is our status now? Who needs to take action, if not you, honorable mayor? Please, mayor, you have to lay down the process and make us understand. Make a conclusive statement to address the concerns of [residents],” she said.

Cash aid

Shalaine Marie Lucero, assistant regional director of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) in Central Visayas, said her office would start distribution of the second tranche of cash aid under the government’s social amelioration program on June 21.

Only low-income households on Cebu Island are entitled to receive P6,000 each.

“We based this decision on Executive Order No. 112, which declared the whole Cebu under ECQ last April 30. Only areas which were under ECQ by that time would receive the second tranche of [the government subsidy],” Lucero said.

This time, she said, the distribution would be handled by DSWD personnel, who would be assisted by the local governments, the police and the military.

Cebu City returned to ECQ status on June 16 due to rising cases of COVID-19, as well as congestion of hospitals here.

Stranded

As of June 15, the entire island of Cebu recorded 2,455 COVID-19 cases—1,716 in Cebu City, 338 in Mandaue City, 132 in Lapu-Lapu City and 269 in Cebu province.

Negros Occidental officials said they would limit the entry of stranded residents from Cebu to a government port in Escalante City.

The residents would not be allowed to enter any other port in Negros Occidental, except Danao in Escalante, said Gov. Eugenio Jose Lacson. They would be quarantined at the provincial government center in Cadiz City and would be subjected to reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction tests for COVID-19.

Space availability

Lacson said the provincial government’s acceptance of the returnees would depend on the availability of space at the Cadiz quarantine.

“We feel that by limiting to one port, we can better control (people coming in). The other option is we won’t accept them, but kawawa naman (we should pity them). We want to take them in,” the governor added.