Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte has ordered the establishment of a technical working group (TWG) to coordinate the implementation of Oplan Kalinga.
She issued Executive Order No. 39 to create a TWG that shall work with the national government’s Oplan Kalinga and other similar programs.
The objectives of the TWG, which Belmonte chairs, are to enhance the city’s coordination with the concerned government agencies and the barangays, and to ensure that safeguards are in place prior to each implementation of the government initiatives.
Oplan Kalinga, led by the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority, seeks to provide isolation and quarantine facilities for possible and confirmed coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients from cities and municipality that could no longer provide the same for their constituents.
The program uses hotels and other accommodation establishments in Quezon City and other localities in the National Capital Region for such purposes.
Similar efforts included those currently undertaken by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Department of Health-Bureau of Quarantine, and the Department of Tourism catering to repatriated overseas Filipino workers.
The programs have not been sufficiently coordinated, hence resulting in situations where patients have been monitored leaving the hotels and mingling with the community, thus increasing the possibility of infection, Belmonte said.
The Quezon City government also discovered during various surprise inspections of hotels that several of them were non-compliant with a number of regulations.
“In spite of the situation, the Quezon City government remains committed to support the national government in its endeavors, provided that proper coordination and safeguards are in place to ensure the safety and well being of the people of Quezon City,” Belmonte said.