AFP defends visit to peacekeepers' quarantine island

MANILA, Philippines - The Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) on Monday defended its visit to the quarantine area in Caballo Island last Sunday and insisted that no protocol was broken when its officials they mingled with the Filipino peacekeepers.

AFP chief Gen. Gregorio Catapang Jr. said the visit was sanctioned by the Department of Health, which crafts the protocols on handling persons from Ebola-stricken areas.

“Because of the explanation of [Health] Acting Secretary Janette Garin that we should not be worried, I enjoined her to show to our soldiers that our troops there are safe,” Catapang told reporters in Camp Aguinaldo.

“She (Garin) dictates the protocol since she is the acting secretary of health so we are not violating anything. She was with us when we went there,” he added.

On Sunday, military and health officials visited the 132 Filipino peacekeepers from Liberia under quarantine on Caballo Island, an area located 2.6 miles east of Corregidor.

Catapang said the visit was meant to inform the public that the peacekeepers should not be stigmatized.

The visit, however, drew flak from critics who think the military and the Health department had violated their own rules when they mingled with the peacekeepers.

Filipino netizens even questioned the purpose of placing the peacekeepers under quarantine when they are allowed to accept visitors. Other critics also asked the media to be silent on the issue until the three-week quarantine period is over.

Reacting to critics, Catapang said the quarantine was conducted as a precautionary measure to ensure that the Philippines remains Ebola-free. He noted that Ebola patients become contagious only when they start to show symptoms.

Except for a soldier who had fever because of malaria, none of the peacekeepers have displayed symptoms of the virus so far.

The malaria-stricken peacekeeper has been transported to the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine facility in Alabang, Muntinlupa City and will be brought back to Caballo once the treatment is completed.

Before they were sent home, Filipino peacekeepers were declared clear of the Ebola virus by United Nations personnel who subjected them to screening. Despite the negative results, the government decided to subject the peacekeepers to a 21-day quarantine.

“We just want to be exemplars or models. We just follow orders,” Catapang said, adding that the visit was also an opportunity to check the plight of the peacekeepers.

Catapang said members of the media are welcome to visit the quarantine area.

The Philippines pulled out its peacekeepers in Liberia due to the outbreak of the Ebola virus, which has so far killed more than 4,900 persons.

Open to OFWs

Meanwhile, Catapang said Caballo Island may also serve as a quarantine site for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who came from Ebola-infested countries in West Africa. He said the Island can accommodate as much as 400 individuals.

“They (OFWs) have nothing to fear if they surrender themselves,” the military chief said.

Another island being considered as a quarantine area is Corregidor, an island fortress located about 50 kilometers west of Manila.

“If we quarantine a large number of people, we might ask for Corregidor Island. It has better amenities and hotels. It’s another paradise island,” Catapang said.

The island can accommodate about 1,000 individuals, he added.

Catapang said the OFWs would be transported to the quarantine sites once they volunteer to undergo the procedure.