2,000 stranded people at Rizal stadium to go home by July 30 — Año

Interior Secretary Eduardo Año. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / NINO JESUS ORBETA

MANILA, Philippines — Over 2,000 stranded individuals, who are currently staying at Rizal Memorial Stadium in Manila, are expected to return to their respective provinces on July 30, Thursday, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said Tuesday.

“Siguro mga more or less nasa mga 2,000 ang naiiwan sa Rizal Sports Complex at ihahatid natin ito hanggang Huwebes ang pinakatarget natin dito,” Año said over Teleradyo when asked about updates of those who availed the Hatid Tulong program, which is also being supervised by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).

(There are still about 2,000 people at the Rizal Sports Complex and we will ferry them to their homes until Thursday.)

Most of the stranded persons at the stadium are from Zamboanga province, the DILG chief said.

“Pinakamarami kasi Zamboanga. ‘Yung Zamboanga kasi parang hub din yan,” Año said when asked about the hometown of the stranded people.

(Most of them are from Zamboanga. Zamboanga is like a hub.)

So far, Año said more than 4,000 stranded individuals from the stadium were already ferried to their hometowns.

Over eight people staying inside the venue were found positive for the coronavirus disease. Netizens even criticized the lack of physical distancing of Hatid Tulong program beneficiaries who are cramming inside the stadium.

The infected individuals were already sent to quarantine facilities for treatment, Año said.

JPV