CITY OF SAN FERNANDO, Pampanga — Regional Task Force Against COVID-19 thanked government agencies and local government units for their support in bringing Locally Stranded Individuals (LSIs) in Metro Manila home.
“Through the Regional Task Force 3 led by Office of Civil Defense (OCD), the Presidential Management Staff, Department of the Interior and Local Government, Department of Health, Philippine National Police, Philippine Information Agency, and our LGUs have come up with a plan for Disaster Risk Reduction and Management officers to speed up return of our stranded individuals,” Regional Task Force Against COVID-19 Chairperson and OCD Regional Director Maria Theresa Escolano said.
She added that the government is continuing its efforts to welcome and help LSIs return to their respective provinces, subject to minimum public health standards and health protocols, in order to protect their families and their communities against COVID-19.
A total of eight LSIs from Metro Manila were transported back to their respective provinces through the national government’s Hatid Tulong Program.
From the figure, three are residents of Zambales, two from Tarlac, and one each from Nueva Ecija, Aurora, and Angeles City.
In an interview, Almira Diauna from Dingalan, Aurora thanked the national government for this initiative.
“Being stranded in Metro Manila since March, without a job, is really very challenging. So I want to thank the President for having this kind of program for LSIs like us and for giving us the hope of returning to our province and continuing with our lives,” Diauna said.
Hatid Tulong Program is a government-wide effort, led by the Office of the President, that seeks to provide transportation assistance to LSIs, including stranded students, workers and tourists.