DAVAO CITY — Ninety-one buses carrying hundreds of Locally-Stranded Individuals (LSIs) bound for different parts of Mindanao are on their way home now.
This after the mass send-off started on Saturday afternoon, in Quirino Grandstand, following the directive of President Rodrigo Duterte to bring the LSIs home.
In a press statement, the Department of Transportation (DOTr), DOTr Secretary Arthur Tugade joined Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea, Social welfare Secretary Rolando Bautista and other key officials of different government agencies in a short ceremony, wherein they waived at the stranded individuals upon their departure, as their distant gesture to wish them well.
Around 4,000 LSIs have been targeted to be sent-off by land and sea at the end of the day through the Hatid Tulong Program.
For those traveling by land, the DOTr, through the Philippine National Railways (PNR), in cooperation with the Department of Energy (DOE), provided free fuel for participating bus units.
These buses have been given up to 200 liters of free fuel, depending on their destinations. On the first day of mass send-off, ninety-one (91) buses bound for Cagayan de Oro, Davao City, and Tacurong City have been enlisted for the fuel provision.
Additionally, personnel of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) also helped in inspecting bus units and assisting the needs of the stranded individuals. For its part, the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) issued a waiver of port charges and fees for vessels transporting the LSIs.
Passengers were likewise allowed to travel free of charge. To ensure health and safety, the IATF protocols have been strictly followed, such as the required conduct of rapid testing and issuance of travel authority before boarding sea vessels and buses.
The mass send-off will continue tomorrow, 05 July 2020, for LSIs going to Luzon and Visayas destinations.-Editha Z. Caduaya/Newsline
