Iloilo City halts return of repatriates

Around 50 locally stranded individuals (LSIs) huddle under used tarpaulins against the rain today, 13 July 2020, at the premises of the Quirino Grandstand in Manila, as they await news from authorities regarding the resumption of the government's Hatid Tulong program, so that they will be able to get back to their home provinces. While initially able to send back an estimated 4,000 LSIs in the past weeks, Interior Secretary Eduardo Año said that the program will likely to resume on the last week of July. Some LSIs said that they want to avail of the program as they can no longer afford rent since they have lost their jobs and livelihood due to the lockdown brought upon by the COVID-19 pandemic. The stranded individuals were forced to wait in the streets as temporary shelters near Quirino Grandstand are overflowing and cannot accommodate the rising numbers of LSIs.(photo by ali vicoy)