This Is How Iloilo Fights The Deadly Coronavirus

Out of the recorded 11,799 PUMs, 11,187 have already completed their 14-day home quarantine according to the Provincial Health Office in Iloilo. There are 465 PUMs that are still being actively monitored by the government and 68 which are considered as “lost to follow-up.” Meanwhile, Iloilo City has 21 persons under investigation (PUIs) as of April 14. The total number of patients positive with COVID-19 is 15, while there are 4 recorded fatalities in the province [1].

Targeted mass testing for COVID-19 is ongoing in the city, and it prioritizes those suspected to have contracted the deadly disease. Individuals will be subjected to a rapid test kit and will continue on to Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR)-based testing if they test positive at the first batch of testing.

Three “undocumented” overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were the first ones to get tested and were found positive after the rapid test. One of the three tested positive from the PCR-based kits, while the other two are still waiting for results. The individuals, however, have already returned to Iloilo—a fact which frustrated Mayor Jerry Treñas. The mayor noted that the government is waiting for more PCR-based test kits and test kits from Korea donated by businessmen in Iloilo. The Iloilo Government also joined the list of localities purchasing test kits developed by the University of the Philippines [2].

On Saturdays and Sundays, Ilonggos could no longer leave their houses according to a new rule implemented by Mayor Jerry Treñas. The mayor also ordered establishments and business operations, including small-scale convenience stores to close during weekends. Only healthcare workers, essential government personnel, media practitioners, the Iloilo Emergency Response Team, and those who need to go to the hospital and pharmacies are allowed to go out. Medical facilities, funeral parlors, business process outsourcing offices, food processing companies, shipping and cargo establishments, and funeral parlors are still allowed to operate during the weekend. Wearing face masks and quarantine passes in public is strictly advised by the government as well [3].

The “Adopt-a-Family” program is a campaign of the PNP that gives immediate assistance to senior citizens, persons with disabilities, indigents, and those who have several dependents. As of April 9, the PNP community has adopted 1,128 indigent families. 293 indigent families living near the Camp Martin Delgado were provided assistance by the PRO-6 regional headquarters.

The community also reached out to 109 families from Antique, 114 from Aklan, 71 from Capiz, 28 from Guimaras, 26 from Iloilo Province, 286 from Negros Occidental, 24 from Bacolod City, and 131 from Iloilo City. Police Lieutenant Colonel Joem Malong, the Police Regional Office (PRO-6) spokesperson, said that their deed might not be that much, but this is their way of showing the vulnerable sectors of the community that they are with them during these trying times [4]. He also hopes that kindness and selflessness will infect the entire community.

Ram Silva, an Iloilo-based fashion designer, created personal protective equipment (PPE) for the frontliners in Iloilo. With the Philippine flag as his inspiration, he created colorful protective suits as his way of helping and spreading positivity in the community. The materials needed for the suits were donated by the local government unit and private organizations, and about 400 PPE’s and 2,050 pieces of face masks were made and given to Ilonggo frontliners [5]. Silva previously designed “Money Heist”-inspired PPE’s for the frontliners as well.

Go to Yoorekka for more COVID-19 updates in Iloilo.