The local government of Capas, Tarlac will file a motion for a Temporary Restraining Order tomorrow in a bid to stop the Department of Health from accepting more Filipino repatriates from novel coronavirus-hit Wuhan, China who will undergo a two-week quarantine at the Athletes’ Village in New Clark City in Capas.
Capas Vice Mayor Roseller Rodriguez said yesterday that their group of lawyers are working on the petition for filing before the court.
“Kami naman po sa Lunes, may grupo po ng abogado na susubukan na dalhin sa korte yung usapin para po magkaroon ng TRO,” Rodriguez said amid the arrival of the first batch of repatriates today.
Rodriguez also said that the municipal council passed last Friday a resolution expressing their town’s objection to the DoH plan.
He said there was no coordination between them and the national government and that they were not informed on the matter.
“Umaapela po kami sa Pangulo (Duterte) at sa DoH Secretary (Francisco Duque) na kung puwede po ay i-reconsider, maghanap ng ibang site,” he added.
Health Secretary Francisco Duque III had earlier said there is no nearby community at the Athletes’ Village, thus, Capas residents do not have to worry.
But Rodriguez refuted this, saying that “the Sitio Kamatis in Barangay Aranguren, with a population of about 1,500, is just 300 meters away from the quarantine site.”
“And then across the road, resettlement site po ‘yun na may population na 30,000. Mga evacuees po ng Mount Pinatubo,” he added, referring to a resettlement site which has turned into a community in Barangay Cristo Rey.
“Ang problema po kasi ay ginawa ang ating village para sa atleta. At ito po ay not typically designed as health facility para puwede gawin as quarantine station. ‘Yung lugar po ay hindi ganon ka isolated, compared doon sa Fort Magsaysay,” the Capas vice mayor noted.
Duque had also said that people just need to be at least six to 10 feet away from novel coronavirus patients to ensure that they are not infected.
However, Rodriguez expressed concern that flies, as he was told, could carry viruses to nearby communities.
“Ngayon, kung may bumahing at ‘yung droplet may virus. Kung dumapo ang langaw doon sa virus at ‘yung langaw ay lumipad, pumunta doon sa nearest community at dumapo doon sa mukha ng tao at nahawak sa bibig, mahahawa ang kababayan namin,” he said.
“Di kami binigyan ng assurance ng zero probability na hindi magkakaroon ng leak out o ng transmission sa nearest community.”
Capas Mayor Reynaldo Catacutan had appealed to the President to consider another area for a quarantine site. He said that is perturbed that Capas officials were not even involved in crafting the decision.
Duque lamented that every community that he has approached rejected plans to build quarantine sites in their areas. “Now is time to show the spirit of “bayanihan” (unity and cooperation),” he told the communities.
“Kababayan po natin sila, pero ayaw po nating ilagay sa alanganin ‘yung kapakanan ng ating mga kababayan dito sa Capas,” Rodriguez said in response. (Joseph Almer Pedrajas)
