BACOLOD City Mayor Evelio Leonardia has issued Executive Order (EO) 29 extending the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ) in the city.
The EO, signed by Leonardia Wednesday, April 8, states that the extension of the ECQ shall take effect on April 14, 2020 at 11:59 p.m. until April 30, 2020, 11:59 p.m. unless otherwise modified as may be warranted by circumstances or by any applicable national policy.
On March 27, Leonardia issued EO 26, Series of 2020, an order placing the City of Bacolod under ECQ from March 30 to April 14.
Section 2 of the EO 26 provides that the ECQ may be extended as warranted by circumstances.
Leonardia said that upon consultation with the chairperson of the Bacolod City Inter-Agency Task Force against coronavirus disease (Covid-19), Vice Mayor El Cid Familiaran, the City Health Office and the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office, the extension of the imposed ECQ is necessary so that the city shall not lose its current gains and momentum in terms of controlling the spread of the virus.
He said on April 7, President Rodrigo Duterte extended the ECQ in Luzon to April 30, 2020 to curb the spread of Covid-19.
He added the City Health Office reported that since Covid-testing began in Bacolod, a total of 162 persons had been tested as of April 8. Of this, seven had tested positive for Covid-19 with one fatality; 99 tested negative, while 56 are still pending results from the biolaboratories in Manila and Iloilo.
"The foregoing statistics show that the danger of local transmission is still a grave and present threat which cannot be underestimated. All the foregoing premises considered, the city cannot be complacent and must therefore continue to institute stringent measures to stop the transmission of Covid-19," Leonardia said.
He said the City Government is also ready for the extension of the ECQ and they will continue to provide food assistance to the city's residents.
He added that they are ready to distribute the food assistance which will be led by the Department of the Social Services and Development (DSSD) and Public Affairs and Assistance Division (PAAD).
The City Government already started to distribute food packs to more than 40,000 households as city has been placed under ECQ.
Leonardia said the second distribution of the food packs will exclude the Pantawid Pamilyang Pilipino Program (4Ps) beneficiaries because by this time, they should have their 4Ps assistance.
"We have about 10,000 4Ps beneficiaries' so we can give more food packs to other recipients. The distribution of food packs will start today to the barangays who already submitted their liquidation on foods distribution," he said.
The City Government of Bacolod is also expected to receive P1.2 billion in social amelioration subsidy from the national government for low-income families, and P119 million in financial assistance through the "Bayanihan Grant to Cities and Municipalities" to boost their capacity to respond to the Covid-19.
The city also earlier released P30 million funds to purchase foods supplies for indigent families in Bacolod.
For his part, Familiaran said: "We can't sacrifice the health and safety of our constituents while we are awaiting the results of 56 swabs and there are 244 persons under monitoring (PUMs) who are still on home quarantine. We are appealing to the public to cooperate with us, wear mask and stay at home."
He said cooperation is very important to prevent and stop the spread of Covid-19.