HATID TULONG. Some locally stranded individuals (LSIs) temporarily staying at the facility near the 'Libingan ng mga Bayani' undergo rapid testing on Wednesday (Aug. 19, 2020) in preparation for their return to their provinces Thursday. The Hatid Tulong program has resumed to ferry stranded passengers back to their home provinces. (Contributed photo)
MANILA – Over 400 locally stranded individuals (LSIs) in Metro Manila on Thursday availed of the government-sponsored trips to return to their respective provinces with the resumption of the Hatid Tulong program.
Assistant Secretary Joseph Encabo of the Presidential Management Staff said the government has started assisting LSIs through a clustering system, wherein only a pocketed group of stranded people are facilitated.
Encabo, lead convenor of the program, said the government has also assisted LSIs to get travel documents and other requirements prior to their scheduled travel date, particularly those bound for Zamboanga, Basilan, Sulu, and Tawi-Tawi.
He said the LSIs were assessed by the Department of Health (DOH).
The stranded people also underwent rapid testing as requested by the local government units, he added.
The Philippine National Police has provided travel authorities to the LSIs, Encabo said.
Each qualified stranded person received an allowance amounting to PHP2,000 through the Department of Social Welfare and Development's (DSWD) assistance to individuals in crisis situations.
"We still have LSIs that need help so they can go home to their provinces. HTI [Hatid Tulong Initiative] is committed to arranging their travel," Encabo said, noting that the government will shoulder all the costs of their trips whether they're going home to any parts of Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.
Encabo said proper and close coordination between the Hatid Tulong's working group, LGUs, and even the private sector, is very important to make each send-off become successful.
"HTI, through the Presidential Management Staff regional field units and DILG, coordinate with receiving local government units before scheduling trips of LSIs to ensure the readiness of LGUs to accept their kababayans (countrymen)," he said.
Encabo, meanwhile, lauded the support they get from the private sector upon the implementation of the program.
"The private sector's participation is a huge help," he said.
Encabo said the LSIs were transported through the help of the Philippine Coast Guard, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources and the 2GO Travel company.
The RRCG Transport company has provided the government with buses, he said, to transport the LSIs bound for Eastern Visayas and Davao regions.
"Almost 400 LSIs availed of the transportation facilitated by HTI. The pocket send-off was arranged for LSIs also bound for Region 8 (Eastern Visayas), Region 11 (Davao), Palawan and Surigao," Encabo said.
With the resumption of the Hatid Tulong program, Encabo said the government prioritized those LSIs who weren't able to avail the sponsored-trips during the previous send-offs since some of their province destinations were "under moratorium status."
Further, some 36 LSIs who were temporarily housed in a facility near the Libingan ng mga Bayani were also able to avail of the sponsored trips, Encabo said.
However, he said some trips are still under preparation and will be scheduled for the next send-offs.
He added that the HTI's technical working group is now arranging various trips bound for Visayas provinces particularly in Dumaguete, Negros, and Panay Island.
The Philippine National Railways, he said, is now scheduling to transport LSIs within this month.
Encabo assured that the program is compliant with the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases' travel guidelines and medical protocols. (PNA)
