ELEVEN local government units (LGUs) – not only in Negros Occidental but also from some parts of Western Visayas – have sent their officials and personnel to visit the daily huddle of the Bacolod City Emergency Operations Center Task Force (EOC-TF) for benchmarking.

These visits, which focused on observing the daily operations of the EOC-TF, allow other LGUs to pick up some points that may be useful in enhancing their very own response against the Covid-19 pandemic.

The LGUs that made visits in the past two weeks include the Municipalities of Isabela, Murcia, Moises Padilla, La Castellana, Hinigaran, and Binalbagan; and the Cities of Bago, Himamaylan, and Silay – all in Negros Occidental.

Representatives from the Provincial Health Offices of Aklan and Capiz also conducted visits at the Bacolod EOC-TF.

Aside from the LGUs, various agencies likewise took time to observe the EOC-TF operations, including the Office of Civil Defense in Western Visayas, the Department of Health Western Visayas, the Negros Occidental Provincial Mobile Force Company, and the Inter-Agency Task Force in the Visayas.

Mayor Evelio Leonardia had issued Executive Order (EO) No. 59, creating the Bacolod City EOC-TF to provide a body that will gather and harmonize data for better policy implementation against Covid-19.

The EO was issued in light of the sudden spike of cases in Bacolod City in August.

The EOC-TF is headed by Leonardia, with its operations under the supervision of IATF-Visayas chief implementer Major General (retired) Mel Feliciano.

Its officers are City Administrator Em Ang as executive director and deputy for administration and operations; Dr. Anna Maria Laarni Pornan as isolation facilities cluster head; Dr. Chris Sorongon and Dr. Hector Gayares as deputies for medical; and John Dave Dueñas as deputy for data collection and management.

Feliciano said the point of having the EOC-TF is to centralize the efforts and activities against the spread of Covid-19.

Mayor Irene Montilla of Isabela, after making her visit on October 7, said she will replicate the EOC-TF in her locality.

“It's good to know that other LGUs are looking forward to replicating our Covid-19 Emergency Operations Center. We would be happy to share our best practices with them,” Ang said. (PR)