Navy ferries 402 LSIs, 3 repatriates to Visayas
Published Jun 22, 2020 12:00 am
By Martin Sadongdong
A total of 402 locally stranded individuals (LSIs) and three repatriates were accommodated into Philippine Navy (PN) ship BRP Davao del Sur (LD602) which departed Manila for Visayas on Monday.
(Philippine Navy / MANILA BULLETIN)
Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, PN Flag officer in Command, felt proud of his troops as the humanitarian mission is considered to have the biggest number of LSIs transported in a single voyage by a Navy vessel.
"Your Philippine Navy will continue to exert tremendous efforts in providing support to our fellow Filipinos who are at most risk of the challenges brought by this pandemic," he said.
The BRP Davao del Sur, fresh from a five-month long voyage in the Midlle East, left Pier 13 in South Harbor, Manila around 9 a.m. as it sailed to port of Iloilo, said Lieutenant Commander Maria Christina Roxas, acting director of the Naval public affairs office.
The journey will take 30 hours, according to Captain Homer Gonzalez, commanding officer of the BRP Davao del Sur.
Nonetheless, Gonzalez assured that the ship "is mission-ready" and the passengers would be safe as long as they follow the rules throughout the journey.
"We will ensure that it will be a safe and convenient travel for them,” he said.
The LSIs, who were stranded in Metro Manila following the imposition of lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), underwent strict medical screening and rapid testing at the Villamor Golf Club in Pasay City prior to boarding the ship, Bacordo said.
The processed LSIs were then fetched from Villamor Golf Club to South Harbor via six military vehicles.
The LSIs underwent body temperature check and registration while their baggages were inspected before being loaded into the ship.
Finally, a shipboard briefing was conducted to the stranded individuals before they proceeded to their billeting area, Bacordo said.
From the original batch of 450 LSIs, only 402 were allowed to travel as some of them tested positive for COVID-19 while others did not push through, Roxas said.
Roxas said the infected LSIs were already sent to isolation centers for treatment.
The BRP Davao del Sur was also supposed to dock in Cebu port. However, a travel restriction was put in place in the area due to the rising cases of infection.
In addition to the LSIs, the remaining repatriates fetched by BRP Davao del Sur from India and Sri Lanka after its mission in the Middle East were also included in the voyage.
The BRP Davao del Sur was also carrying 2,508 boxes of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and medical supplies intended for the frontliners in the Visayas region.
"This will be transported to the Office of Civil Defense hub in Cebu," Bacordo said.
"This COVID-19 undertaking conducted by the Philippine Navy demonstrates the holistic brand of service the PN can render to our fellow Filipinos especially in this time of unprecedented global pandemic," he stated.
(Philippine Navy / MANILA BULLETIN)
Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo, PN Flag officer in Command, felt proud of his troops as the humanitarian mission is considered to have the biggest number of LSIs transported in a single voyage by a Navy vessel.
"Your Philippine Navy will continue to exert tremendous efforts in providing support to our fellow Filipinos who are at most risk of the challenges brought by this pandemic," he said.
The BRP Davao del Sur, fresh from a five-month long voyage in the Midlle East, left Pier 13 in South Harbor, Manila around 9 a.m. as it sailed to port of Iloilo, said Lieutenant Commander Maria Christina Roxas, acting director of the Naval public affairs office.
The journey will take 30 hours, according to Captain Homer Gonzalez, commanding officer of the BRP Davao del Sur.
Nonetheless, Gonzalez assured that the ship "is mission-ready" and the passengers would be safe as long as they follow the rules throughout the journey.
"We will ensure that it will be a safe and convenient travel for them,” he said.
The LSIs, who were stranded in Metro Manila following the imposition of lockdown to curb the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19), underwent strict medical screening and rapid testing at the Villamor Golf Club in Pasay City prior to boarding the ship, Bacordo said.
The processed LSIs were then fetched from Villamor Golf Club to South Harbor via six military vehicles.
The LSIs underwent body temperature check and registration while their baggages were inspected before being loaded into the ship.
Finally, a shipboard briefing was conducted to the stranded individuals before they proceeded to their billeting area, Bacordo said.
From the original batch of 450 LSIs, only 402 were allowed to travel as some of them tested positive for COVID-19 while others did not push through, Roxas said.
Roxas said the infected LSIs were already sent to isolation centers for treatment.
The BRP Davao del Sur was also supposed to dock in Cebu port. However, a travel restriction was put in place in the area due to the rising cases of infection.
In addition to the LSIs, the remaining repatriates fetched by BRP Davao del Sur from India and Sri Lanka after its mission in the Middle East were also included in the voyage.
The BRP Davao del Sur was also carrying 2,508 boxes of personal protective equipment (PPEs) and medical supplies intended for the frontliners in the Visayas region.
"This will be transported to the Office of Civil Defense hub in Cebu," Bacordo said.
"This COVID-19 undertaking conducted by the Philippine Navy demonstrates the holistic brand of service the PN can render to our fellow Filipinos especially in this time of unprecedented global pandemic," he stated.