DILG 10 REMINDS LGUs TO ALIGN COVID-19 POLICIES, EFFORTS
TO NATIONAL GUIDELINES
“No matter what Executive Orders are being implemented by our Local Government Units in response to COVID-19 crisis, they must see to it that these are compliant to the set resolutions issued by the national Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Disease [IATF-EID].”
This is according to Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) 10 Regional Director Arnel M. Agabe reiterating the need for every local government unit in Northern Mindanao to perform in unison based on the guidelines set by the National Inter Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID).
“Mao nang dili dapat mulapos ang atong mga LGUs kung unsay mga probisyon ug guidelines [This is why our LGUs must not go beyond the provisions and guidelines] that were set by our IATF and one of which is to ensure that cargos should not be restricted to allow free flow of food supply delivery,” RD Agabe said.
The Regional Director added that the Department monitors the LGUs and immediately calls them up when they issue Executive Orders that seemingly do not comply or even goes overboard the set national guidelines.
Taking into the perspective of the local leaders, RD Agabe says that since it is the first time for the country to experience such national health emergency, “Our Local Chief Executives, although really committed and passionate to contain the spread of virus, might have the tendency to go beyond what is mandated from them.”
Issuance of supplementary guidelines
The Regional Director disclosed on the upcoming supplementary guidelines from the Regional IATF-EID, which will still be based on the National Agency Task Force Resolutions.
“Ang atoa nga naa tay mas simple nga pwede mahimo nga guide with harmonized and unified ang approach sa atong gusto buhaton sa tanan natong LGUs para nga standard na [What we wanted is to have simpler guide with unified approach to standardize the things that we want our LGUs to do],” RD Agabe said.
Moreover, he said that IATF is currently working on having unified protocols on the LGUs’ issuance of Executive Orders on Community Quarantine as this has been one of the issues not only in the regional level but also in the national level.
Region 10 LGU’s performance
As the head of Governance Cluster in COVID-19 response regional task force, DILG’s efforts are on ensuring that the LGUs already have the necessary systems, protocols, and preparedness measures in preventing and containing the spread of the said disease.
“For now, what is good is that most of our Local Chief Executives and Provincial Governors, including our City and Municipal Mayors are actively engaged in ensuring that our LGUs could appropriately respond to the challenge that we are facing right now,” said RD Agabe.
According to him, all the five provinces, as well as the city and municipal LGUs, have already created their task forces against COVID-19. Moreover, all the barangays in the Region have already activated their Barangay Health Emergency Response Teams (BHERTs). (DILG 10/LGOO II Rezza Mae B. Tolinero)