LEGAZPI CITY — Some 2,000 locally stranded individuals (LSIs) from Mindanao arrived on Sunday afternoon aboard 80 passenger buses at the Matnog Port in Sorsogon.
The LSIs are going back to their homes in Northern Mindanao, Davao Region, and Soccsksargen. They left Manila on Saturday night.
The Philippine Information Agency (PIA) in Bicol said the 80 Partas buses carrying the LSIs will board the roll-on/roll-off (RoRo) vessels Sunday afternoon to bring them to Allen, Samar from where they will then proceed by bus to the Lipata Port in Antique, Western Visayas.
From Lipata Port, the convoy will board another RoRo vessel that will bring 300 LSIs in 15 buses to the port in Cagayan De Oro City. Forty buses with 1,100 LSIs, will proceed to the Davao City Port, while 600 LSIs in 25 buses will go to the port in General Santos City.
Marlon Loterte, PIA Bicol acting director, said the LSIs are being brought home under the Hatid-Tulong Initiative (formerly Hatid Probinsiya) program, a joint undertaking of the Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) Office of Civil Defense (OCD) Presidential Management Staff (PMS), the League of Municipalities and the national government.