RALPH LAWRENCE G. LLEMIT, SUNSTAR Davao
THE Davao City Government, on Monday, April 27, opened a database center for individuals stranded within and outside the city.
The City Tourism Operations Office (CTOO) launched the Davao City Stranded Persons Database Center (DCSPDC) wherein stranded individuals must report to the center their situation by providing the following details through the center's provided text hotline and e-mail address posted on the City Government of Davao and CTOO Facebook page.
For residents stranded outside Davao City, they must provide the following: their name, date of birth, mobile number, address in Davao, address currently in, the starting date in the city he or she got stranded, purpose of travel, and persons travelling with and its relationship.
While for persons stranded in Davao, they must submit their name, date of birth, mobile number, address in Davao, the starting date when he or she got stranded in Davao City, home address, city/municipality/province where he or she originates, purpose of travel in Davao City, and persons travelling with and their relationship.
CTOO, in an online post, said DCSPDC will respond to their text or email for additional information.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio announced the creation of the center on Saturday, April 25, after receiving various complaints from individuals, especially Dabawenyos stranded outside.
As of now, those stranded outside Davao Region still cannot enter following the extension of the enhanced community quarantine (ECQ), as recommended by the Interagency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
Duterte-Carpio also emphasized that according to the IATF-EID, air travel ban inside the region is still prohibited as airport operation is still limited to cargo transport.
Opening the center, the mayor said, is the only help the City Government can do to help those stranded passengers.
The mayor also emphasized the need to collate data from those who were stranded outside the region, in order for the city to prepare their isolation facilities.
She said they would be immediately required to go under 14-day quarantine in case the regional lockdown will be lifted.
However, in Davao City, the city needs to capacitate its isolation facility to more than 1,000 beds.
As of now, she said the city has a current total of 415 bed to its 11 isolation facilities.
"Kung magpasulod daw ta og, let's say, 500 ka tao ang atong 415 ka beds is not enough to accommodate new wave of infection sa mga musulod (Our current 415 bed capacities is not enough to accommodate new wave of infection if we would allow entry of 500 people outside the region)," Duterte-Carpio said in a radio interview on 87.5 FM Davao City Disaster Radio.
But she said those who wanted to leave the city can still go out, provided that the city or town they go home to can cater to them.
The mayor, meanwhile, received reports that certain local government units are working on to usher back home their stranded residents inside Davao City. These are Davao Oriental and a certain province of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao.
