WHILE waiting for quarantine restrictions to ease in Cebu City, around 18,000 locally stranded individuals (LSIs) currently in the city were urged to start securing the documents required for travel.
They were also advised to apply for financial assistance from the Cebu City Government.
Prepare all other requirements. The travel authority or availability of travel is easy to secure, said City Attorney Rey Gealon.
To be able to travel as soon as restrictions are relaxed, the LSIs need the following: certification that they are not PUM (person under monitoring) or PUI (patient under investigation); medical certificate from their host barangay; availability of travel from Cebu City Hall; and travel authority from the Philippine National Police (PNP).
Gealon, spokesperson of Cebu City Mayor Edgardo Labella, said the City will also have to coordinate with an LSI’s destination to determine whether a Letter of Acceptance is needed. He noted that local government units (LGUs) have different protocols for LSIs.
To apply for financial assistance, LSIs need to submit the following: government-issued ID or valid ID reflecting hometown address; travel authority issued by the PNP Task Force Covid Shield; and barangay certificate from host barangay.
The documents must be in PDF form and sent by email to project.spgarcia@gmail.com. Walk-in applicants will not be entertained.
A post on Labella’s Facebook page stated that the Cebu City Government has started receiving applications for financial assistance.
LSIs bound for areas within Cebu Province will get P1,000 to P1,500. Those bound for any part of the Visayas will get P1,000 to P3,000 while those going to Luzon or Mindanao will receive P3,000 to P5,000.
An LSI may avail himself of the financial assistance only once. The amount granted, based on the assessment of the Department of the Social Welfare and Services (DSWS), will include the cost of the ticket for either land, sea, or air travel.
LSIs will be informed via email about their schedule for interview at the DSWS office in Barangay Labangon. They may request for transport services to and from the DSWS office, or call 0931-023-0157.
Cebu City is under modified enhanced community quarantine until July 31. Authorities are hopeful that restrictions will ease and the city would shift to general community quarantine on August 1. (JJL, PAC)