BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – Thirty-eight Bacolodnon PUMs quarantined in Mambukal Mountain Resort will be transported today, 1 April, a press release from the Bacolod PIO said.
The press release said that the city government will be assisting these 38 who are among the 115 Persons Under Monitoring (PUMs) quarantined in the highland resort, by transporting them home today after they were tested negative for COVID-19.
City Health Office (CHO) head Dr. Ma. Carmela Gensoli said the 38 patients, who have finished the mandatory 14-day quarantine along with other arriving PUMs, would be picked up by the city bus this morning, and will be brought to their respective homes.
Gensoli has assigned a nurse from CHO to assist the patients and bring them home “door to door.”
While the 38 were on quarantine in the resort as part of the 115 PUMs, the Bacolod City government contributed to their subsistence by sending 10 sacks of rice, several boxes of canned goods, and toiletries to the provincial Capitol since it was the provincial government that managed and monitored the group’s quarantine.
The38 are among the first batch of 89 Negrenses who arrived at the Bacolod-Silay Airport (BSA) from Clark International Airport on March 19.
Two days later, a second group of 26 Negrenses — two of whom are from Bacolod — arrived at the BREDCO port on a roll-on roll-off (RORO) vessel from Batangas.
These Negrenses were stranded in Luzon after the region was placed under Enhanced Community Quarantine by President Duterte.
They were assisted by the provincial government to be able to board a special Cebu Pacific flight and a RORO vessel back to Negros Occidental. Upon arrival here, they were immediately transported to the Mambukal Resort for a mandatory 14-day quarantine.
Provincial Administrator Rayfrando Diaz said the passengers were considered as PUMs as they came from an area with positive cases of COVID-19.
Provincial Health Office nurse Glenn Demonteverede said the second batch of 26 passengers have not yet completed their quarantine.
The PUMs quarantined at the resort are “doing fine” as they are being supervised by health workers and guarded by police.
The Provincial Capitol had closed the resort to the public after deciding that the stranded passengers from Luzon will be brought to the resort immediately upon arrival here, the press release added.
