CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY (PIA)--As the lead enforcers of the health protocols, the local government units (LGUs) are urged to have their temporary treatment and monitoring facilities (TTMFs) as well as their lists of vaccination recipients ready anytime.
"We concentrate on our role as enforcers, ating LGUs, mayors, governors, mga head ng task forces ng lokalidad. They have the primary role of enforcing the laws, ordinances, which accounts for 80% of prevention," Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) Sec. Eduardo Año said as read by DILG-10 Regional Director Arnel Agabe.
During the Normin COVID-19 Response Task Force press conference, July 23, Agabe added that LGUs must ensure immediate assistance, especially in the isolation phase, by ensuring operationalization of TTMFs and aggressive contact tracing.
These are part of government's Prevent-Detect-Isolate-Treat-Reintegrate (PDITR+) strategy and the BIDA Solusyon, which DILG reiterates as the only means to combat COVID-19.
Agabe also urged the LGUs "for them to be ready with their master list para sa atong priority beneficiaries kay kung muabot na ang kadaghanan nga supply nato sa vaccines, kini dayon naa na'y mahatagan, naa na'y maturukan sa mao nga mga vaccines."
(for our priority beneficiaries so when the bulk of vaccine supply will arrive, they can be readily given, they can be inoculated immediately with the vaccines)
He further added that Año called for faster testing, tracing, isolation and vaccination. Thus, DILG will further strengthen measures to address hesitancy on vaccination by providing special services to A2 and A3 eligible population.
"Kung kailangan i-house to house, gawin natin. Kasi 'pag ma-vaccinate sila, mababawasan ang ating mortality (If there is a need to conduct house-to-house [vaccination], we will do it. Because if they are vaccinated, we can decrease our mortality)," Año added.
Safety seal certification
Aside from intensifying the PDITR+ strategy, DILG-10 also calls on the cooperation of LGUs, government agencies and private establishments to check their compliance to minimum public health standards and use of StaySafe.ph application under the new program called Safety Seal certification.
"We are also doing our best sa DILG and other government agencies nga mapatuman nato ang (that we can implement the) Safety Seal to assure the public that they (LGUs, NGA, private sector) have complied with the Safety Seal requirements," Agabe said.
The Safety Seal program is an inter-agency effort among the DILG, Department of Health (DOH), Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Tourism (DOT), and Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), which grants establishments a Safety Seal to be noticeably displayed indicating that the building or establishment the public are entering are compliant to health protocols against COVID-19.
The regional director said the Safety Seal Certification is part of the government's preventive measures to keep the public safe from COVID-19.
"I just want to assure you that the national government, the ITAF [Inter Agency Task Force], will always support you that is why we are here. It doesn’t take a meeting like this, we are open 24 hours, to make sure Region 10 and all other cities and municipalities in Region 10 will be safer," Año said. (RTP/PIA-10)
