No more grand send-off for LSI

The next send-off in the coming weeks will be more comprehensive, careful and organized

The government will do away with grand send-off for locally stranded individuals (LSI) to ensure that social distancing will be observed, according to the lead convenor of the Hatid Tulong Program.

Presidential Management Staff (PMS) Assistant Secretary Joseph “Joy” Encabo. said a clustered send-off will instead be organized for the protection of individuals who will avail of the program, as approved by the Technical Working Group.

“We will be having a new approach and preparation because in our next send-off, there will only be clustered send-offs,” Encabo said during Tuesday’s Network Briefing News hosted by Presidential Communications Operations Office (PCOO) Secretary Martin Andanar.

The initiative, according to Encabo, has so far sent off 6,583 individuals.

Encabo assured the public that they will be more organized and careful in sending of the LSI.

“The next send-off in the coming weeks will be more comprehensive, careful and organized,” he said.

Encabo admitted that with Metro Manila currently under modified enhanced community quarantine (MECQ), they face serious problems.

The group is also expecting to accommodate the arrival of more returning overseas Filipinos (ROF).

He said Hatid Tulong is seeking approval of the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-EID) to exempt the LSI and ROF from the travel restrictions.

Their request is expected to be sent to the IATF-EID by Wednesday, 5 August.

“Assuming that our request will be granted, we are expecting to send home more than 500 LSI. But if not, then our LSI will have to wait further while they stay in our staging areas or temporary shelter areas “Encabo said

Meanwhile, Andanar said he would help bring up this concern to the IATF-EID.