Gwen’s EO on swab test ‘practical’

CEBU, Philippines — Cebu City Councilor and Emergency Operations Center (EOC) deputy chief implementer Joel Garganera came to  the defense of Governor Gwendolyn “Gwen” Garcia following the testing and quarantine protocol issues.

He said EOC fully supports Garcia’s position on the isolation and swab test for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and returning overseas Filipinos (ROFs).

“We (Cebu City EOC) are one with Governor Gwen’s EO (executive order) and her position with regard to the arrival of ROF and OFW,” said Garganera said.

EOC support came after Garcia disclosed Tuesday that two cabinet secretaries are planning to file charges against her for allegedly defying the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Infectious Disease (IATF-MEID) guidelines on swab tests for OFWs and ROFs.

Garcia earlier said the information was relayed to her by Marinduque Governor Presbitero Velasco, Jr., president of the League of Provinces in the Philippines. It was allegedly Secretary Eduardo Año of the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) who told Velasco of the plan of presidential spokesperson Harry Roque and Justice Secretary Menardo Guevarra to charge the lady governor of insubordination.

Under IATF Resolution No. 114 dated May 6, 2021, RT-PCR testing for Sars-CoV-2 on arriving travelers shall be conducted on the seventh day, with Day 1 being the day of arrival.

It also states that “all arriving travelers shall undergo 14-day quarantine upon arrival,” with the first 10 days to be observed in a quarantine facility and the remainder to be completed under home quarantine in the travelers’ respective local government units of destination.

But the Cebu provincial government only requires swabbing upon arrival at the airport.

Garcia’s EO 17 dated March 30, 2021 states that OFWs and ROFs shall be swabbed upon arrival at the Mactan Cebu International Airport and will wait for their result in a hotel for a maximum period of three days.

If tested negative, Cebu residents will be allowed to go home and continue their quarantine at home. They will be swabbed again on the 7th day to ensure that they are cleared from the virus, while non-Cebu residents will be turned over to their LGU of destination subject to their own protocols.

Garcia said her policy is not against the IATF protocol. She said it was just an "innovative" way of implementing the IATF guidelines.

"Defiant kuno ko. Dili man ko defiant. I'm just trying to look for the best possible way to implement policies that will not further burden our people," Garcia said during a press conference at the Capitol Tuesday night.

“I believe that I am doing what is right for Cebu and the Cebuanos,” she added.

Garganera, for his part, said most of the arriving passengers from abroad were already inoculated. They are also required to provide negative PCR test results before departure.

“Most of these arriving passengers inoculated or vaccinated na. Then 72 hours before departure naa na silay negative PCR Test results and upon arrival mag swab test pa gyud. They will stay in an accredited hotel. Then out if negative and further isolate if positive,” he said.

ROFs and OFWs are again swabbed in their respective local government units (LGUs), Garganera said.

“After 5 to 7 days i-swab og balik sa respective LGUs. The negative test result upon arrival is enough requirement to allow them to travel back to their LGUs. Asa man dapita naka violate ang EO sa governor? This is not just practical but medically compliant,” said Garganera.

“Og silotan man gani ang gobernador sa maayo niyang binohatan, paapil nalang sad me og silot,” the councilor added. — KQD (FREEMAN)