BACOLOD CITY, Sept. 6 (PIA) –- The Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) assured logistical support to the local government of Bacolod City and the provincial government of Negros Occidental in the fight against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), amid rising cases of local transmission here.
OPAV Assistant Secretary Anthony Gerard “Jonji” Gonzales, in a virtual presser here with the local media, said he was instructed by Presidential Assistant for the Visayas Secretary Michael Lloyd Dino to listen to the needs of both LGUs and list down these needs so that OPAV can help facilitate the delivery of these from the national government.
(L-R) Office of the Presidential Assistant for the Visayas (OPAV) Anthony Gerard “Jonji” Gonzales, Chief implementer of the Visayas Inter-Agency Task Force Major General (Retired) Melquiades Feliciano and Chief Pathologist of the Department of Health in Region 7 Dr. Mary Jean Loreche hold a virtual press briefer on their efforts to help Bacolod City and Negros Occidental in the fight against COVID-19. *(EAD-PIA6 photo)
“We are not here to impose on Negros Occidental and Bacolod City, we are here to work with you, we are here to help you with the logistics should you need help in that direction,” Gonzales said.
Chief implementer of the Visayas Inter-Agency Task Force Major General (Retired) Melquiades Feliciano told Gonzales that what happened to Cebu some weeks back could happen in Bacolod City and Negros Occidental.
“Your (COVID) test results are worrisome but it should not make you panic, scared maybe, but not panic. It is good to be scared so you will not be complacent,” Gonzales added.
Gonzales came to Bacolod with Feliciano and Dr. Mary Jean Loreche, chief Pathologist of the Department of Health in Region 7 to share with Bacolod and Negros Occidental officials the best practices and recommendations to help curb the spread of COVID-19.
According to him, Feliciano will stay here in Western Visayas for three weeks to help Bacolod and Iloilo while Loreche will visit regularly to help increase the testing capabilities and improve the turnaround time of the molecular laboratories here.
“Testing is one of the pillars in the fight against COVID-19,” Loreche said.
Gonzales hopes that in two to three weeks, we will be able to stand the tide and what happened to Cebu will not happen here.*(LTP/EAD-PIA6 Negros Occidental)
Source: Philippines Information Agency (pia.gov.ph)
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