The national Inter-Agency Task Force will deploy personnel in Iloilo City to augment in the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) response of the local government.

This was among the agreements reached by the local government following a meeting with COVID-19 response in Visayas chief implementer Secretary Roy Cimatu and Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino who arrived in the city on Wednesday, Aug. 26.

“This is very favorable for us because we can directly ask for help from the national when necessary. They will observe our daily response and look into the best practices that were implemented in Cebu that can be replicated here,” Iloilo COVID-19 team spokesperson Jeck Conlu said in a virtual presser on Thursday, Aug. 27.

Gen. Melquiades Feliciano, the national Inter-Agency Task Force Deputy chief implementer for the Visayas, will arrive in the city on Sept. 1 to observe the city’s response and look into the needed critical resources to boost measures against COVID-19, Conlu added.

Additional medical personnel of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) will also be deployed to augment the personnel component of the city.

The city government also requested for uniformed personnel for peace-keeping and implementation of minimum health standards.

While it was agreed that the 3,000 specimens pending at the Western Visayas Medical Center sub-national laboratory (SNL) will be sent to Cebu, Conlu said they were informed just Thursday that it is no longer necessary.

He added that the SNL assured that they can already cope with the backlogs.

The city government also submitted a wish list, including the upgrading of the St. Therese Hospital, which is currently being used as an isolation facility, into a Level 1 hospital.

During the meeting, they also discussed concerns about returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs) and locally stranded individuals (LSIs).

Conlu added that starting Friday, the city will no longer accept travelers from Bacolod City, which will be placed on a four-day lockdown starting Aug. 27.

“There is no lockdown in Iloilo City,” he said.

As of Thursday, Iloilo City has a total of 897 confirmed cases with 785 are local cases. Of the 349 total active cases, 32 are local cases. The rest are ROFs, LSIs, and authorized persons outside of the residence.Perla Lena/PNA

Photo of Iloilo City Mayor Jerry Trenas (left) and COVID-19 response in Visayas chief implementer Secretary Roy Cimatu (right) by Arnold Almacen