ILOILO CITY (June 2, 2020) — Local government units in Western Visayas are leading the way in the fight against COVID-19 and have come together to propose a ‘One Panay’ policy.

This developed as National Task Force on COVID-19 (NTF COVID-19) Chief Implementer Carlito Galvez Jr. lauded the region’s LGUs for coming up with such an initiative, which is a testament of their strong partnership and commitment to mitigate the impact of the disease.

“Maganda po ang ‘One Panay’ policy kasi nag-uusap ang mga regions at ang policy po nila ay iisa. Mayroon din po tayong unimpeded transactions of business and at the same time, wala pong ganoong hassle. So wala pong confusion ‘yung mga tao natin,” Galvez said during a press conference held here.

Initiated by Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Treñas, the ‘One Panay’ policy will allow common quarantine procedures for all provinces and cities in Panay and Guimaras islands, particularly in handling locally stranded-individuals (LSIs) and overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), as well as the setting up border controls under a single executive order.

The chief mplementer likened the excellent coordination among Western Visayas LGUs with their counterparts in the Davao and Cordillera Autonomous Regions, which are implementing best practices, specifically in the conduct of targeted testing and contact tracing, and strictly enforcing quarantine guidelines.

“Yung Davao region, naguusap-usap po sila kung ano po ang io-open at ano po ang magiging common or generic policy. Gano’n din ang CAR, mayroon silang isang policy na lahat sinusunod,” Galvez said.

Antique Governor Rhodora Cadiao thanked Treñas for spearheading the initiative, as she noted that the ‘One Panay’ policy will be crucial in rebuilding the province’s economy as the nation transitions to the “new normal.”

“Nagpapasalamat ang mga Antiqueño sa initiative ni Mayor Jerry Treñas na mag-open Panay kami. So, ibig sabihin borderless na po kami kasi nakita namin na kailangan na naming i-revive ang economy namin sa buong Panay,” Cadiao said.

“Ang Antique is very dependent on Iloilo for [the revival of the] economy and tourism in Aklan. So maganda po ‘yung ‘One Panay,’” she added.

Dr. Teodoro Herbosa, one of the NTF COVID-19’s medical advisers, also praised the local chief executives of Western Visayas for showing their commitment and solidarity amid the health crisis.

“Na-impress ako, na you have followed the national strategy, you followed every step recommended by the IATF, natuwa kami duon. Not only that, I saw cooperation. with the regional office ng Disaster Risk Reduction, yung uniformed services at ang ating mga local chief executives,” Herbosa said.

“Kung Baguio City ang leaders sa contact tracing, I think sila (Region VI) ang leader sa cooperation and collaboration. Napakagaling po,” he added.

Implementation of localized lockdowns

Galvez emphasized the need to implement “localized lockdowns,” which will enable LGUs to slowly re-open their economies, while ensuring the health and safety of their constituents.

“‘Yong localized lockdown is on how you can save your economic corridor. Ang gagawin natin ay surgical operations. Ibig sabihin kung saan may affected, ‘yun lang ang ila-lockdown natin para ‘yung mga taong di naman affected, makapag-resume po ng kanilang economic activities,” he said.

Galvez explained that a localized lockdown can be implemented if there are at least two confirmed COVID-19 in a particular barangay.

LGUs, he said, are allowed to customize the implementation of these lockdowns based on the prevailing situation in their community vis-a-vis the guidelines issued by the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging and Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).

“Nasa quarantine pa rin po kayo. Ibig sabihin, mayroon pa rin pong rules of restriction. So ‘yon po ang sinabi ni [DILG] Secretary Eduardo Año, considering that the LGUs know what is best for their constituents, we will let you,” Galvez said.

Western Visayas was placed under general community quarantine (GCQ) on May 16 and is now transitioning to modified GCQ under the IATF-EID Resolution No. 41.

During his visit to the city, Galvez turned over to local officials 2,000 personal protective equipment (PPEs), 2,000 KN95 masks, 2,000 surgical masks, 1,500 rapid test kits, and 200 PCRs testing kits which test around 10,000 individuals.

The Chief Implementer also visited two hospitals, including Western Visayas Medical Center, for the expansion of their testing laboratory for COVID-19. ###