South patrol tightened vs new virus variant

ZAMBOANGA CITY, Zamboanga del Sur, Philippines — The Philippine Navy is beefing up its security patrols in the country’s southern border amid alarm over the entry of people from the Malaysian state of Sabah where the new variant of the new coronavirus disease (COVID-19) was reported.

The porous southern backdoor is a maritime route for centuries by traders of North Borneo and the Sulu archipelago.

Commodore Toribio Adaci Jr., commander of Naval Forces Western Mindanao, ordered the deployment of its vessels to the southern sea lanes to closely monitor inbound watercraft from Malaysia.

“Our naval assets will intensify naval operations along our southern borders. We are increasing our assets and presence in these areas,” Adaci told the Inquirer in a text message.

Suspending repatriation

During the Laging Handa briefing on Tuesday, Sulu Gov. Abdusakur Tan said he was considering putting his province on lockdown and temporarily stop the repatriation of undocumented Filipinos from Sabah to prevent the entry of the new COVID-19 strain into the province.

The new strain, which experts said was more transmissible, has been reported in Sabah, Malaysia, which is close to Sulu.

“Definitely, what is certain is definitely, nobody is allowed to go to Sabah, and nobody from Sabah is allowed to come here,” he said.

Tan noted that it had been easy to travel between these two places, but now there is a need to strictly screen whoever those entering Sulu to make sure it would not have a case of the new variant of the coronavirus.

“We are asking the President if he could request Sabah or Kuala Lumpur to suspend the repatriation of undocumented Filipinos from Sabah,” he said.

Sulu has to be careful because the province does not have adequate health facilities if the number of COVID-19 cases increases, Tan said.

Alert

“We only have a Level 1 hospital, so our acts must be preventive, we have to exercise prevention,” he said.

Adaci said all troops had been alerted following confirmation made by Malaysian health authorities about the new COVID-19 variant.

Three naval vessels have been sent to Tawi-Tawi province, with one patrolling the vicinity of Sibutu Island, which is near Lahad Datu, and another in the waters off Taganak Island, which is near Sandakan.

Another ship sailed to the area from Zamboanga City on Dec. 28 to beef up patrols in the border, Adaci said.

“We may not be able to cover the huge expanse of our waters but we will strategically position our assets in common routes of travel and in areas where we can have optimum coverage. We shall utilize the speed of our multipurpose assault crafts to intercept vessels,” he said.

On Dec. 28, Tawi-Tawi officials, through the Provincial Inter-Agency Task Force on COVID-19, required all passengers from Sabah to be quarantined in the nearest local government isolation center.

Entry of goods will be allowed up to Jan. 10, a week before the expected Jan. 16 lockdown in Sabah.

Zamboanga City Mayor Maria Isabelle Climaco-Salazar is seeking a moratorium on the entry of the remaining 3,000 Filipino deportees from Sabah.

The deportation of over 5,000 undocumented Filipinos in the Malaysian state began in July.

“I have spoken with Dr. (Omar) Aranan (head of Bureau of Quarantine) and recommended moratorium [on] travel from Sabah … There is a need for moratorium [on] travelers from Malaysia,” Salazar said.