October 20, 2021 | CDRRMO EOC, Isabela City, Basilan – Isabela City Mayor Sitti Djalia A Turabin-Hataman met with GCQ Security Partners and Punong Barangays where QCPs are currently located to discuss matters related to the continued checkpoint/chokepoint operations in their respective AORs.

Specifically, the Punong Barangays (or representatives) of the ff were present at the meeting:

Cabunbata

Doña Ramona

Lanote

Seaside

Sunrise

Note: The following barangays failed to send representatives to the meeting:

Begang

Eastside

Sumagdang

Nevertheless, QCP Team Leaders from the PNP ICPS, PNP SAF 54SAC, 4SFBN were present as well.

Among the agreements forged in the meeting was the commitment by the Barangays to field their respective Humanitarian Action for Peaceful Isabela or HAPI Force, age-eligible Sangguniang Kabataan and Barangay officials to assist in the checkpoint operations, especially with the rollout and strict implementation of the StaySafe.ph QR code scanning instituted at all QCPs.

Moreover, Mayor Dadah reiterated that the LGU will deploy additional personnel at all QCPs to help ease traffic congestion caused by checkpoint/chokepoint operations around the city, reminding everybody present that these measures are being done precisely because the city is currently under a GENERAL COMMUNITY QUARANTINE with heightened restrictions or GCQ v.2, the objective of which is hamper/curtail/restrict movement of people both interzonally as well as intrazonally, meaning the movement/travel of people crossing city limits/boundaries to and from neighboring LGUs, as well as movement/travel within the city shall be aggressively restricted, thus incentivizing residents to STAY AT HOME instead of going outside.

The Mayor likewise appealed to residents to abide by the rules set forth under the guidelines laid out by GCQ and refrain from going out of their residences for the duration of the imposition (October 16 – 31, 2021) per Executive Order No. 24, s. 2021, ICCTF Resolutiion No. 5, s. 2021, and concurred both by the Provincial Task Force and thru Joint RIATF-RTF IX Resolution No. 28, s. 2021.

Thus, the continued use of StaySafe.ph QR code shall proceed in ALL QCPs and Ports/Points of Entry without any let up. Earlier, the Mayor issued Executive Order No. 14, s. 2021, mandating the use of StaySafe.ph app as a requirement for entry into Isabela City.

Also, acting on DILG MC 2021-075 – Implementation on the Use of StaySafe.ph for Cities and Municipalities, specifically:

“Section 3.2 – The Provincial, City or Municipality shall mechanisms and strategies for widest dissemination for the use of StaySafe.ph application”

Thus, obligating the City LGU to actively promote the widest awareness and use of StaySafe.ph app, using mechanisms and strategies to localize said app and integrate the same with existing QR code apps used by the city.

The city currently has 93 active cases out of 1,020 total confirmed cases, of which 32 have died from complications due to COVID19. The more alarming fact is that, almost half of these 32 deaths occured in 2 months alone – September and October 2021.

With the imposition of GCQ v.2 it is hoped that these cases will eventually go down, and deaths from COVID19 shall plateau and drop as well.