BACOLOD CITY, Negros Occidental, Philippines – Mayor Evelio “Bing” Leonardia has expressed his gratitude to President Rodrigo Duterte for all the help he has extended to the people of Bacolod in their fight against coronavirus disease (Covid-19).
In a letter addressed to the president dated Tuesday 3 November, the mayor said the quick and decisive response of the president and Senator Bong Go when the city officials appealed for help last months of August and September when positive cases in the city spiked meant a lot for the people of Bacolod.
The mayor said the president “had our backs” at a critical time in the city’s fight against Covid-19.
He reported to the president that the Emergency Command Center that Major Gen. Mel Feliciano and wife Mia have helped established is now becoming a practical academy of sorts for other local government units in Negros Occidental.
Leonardia said the guidance of the couple “in setting up the systems at the Emergency Command Center and in training our core team on how to hunt down the virus and helping those afflicted with it, can only be God-sent in answer to the prayers of our people”.
He noted that in his deep appreciation for the service of Feliciano and his wife, the mayor declared them as the first-ever “adopted couple” of Bacolod.
“Only God knows how many lives they have helped to save with what they have done for us here,” Leonardia said.
The mayor also thanked Duterte for bringing various officials like Gen. Carlito Galvez, chief implementer of the National Task Force, Visayas Central Commander Gen. Robert Ancan of the Philippine Army, Presidential Assistant for Visayas Secretary Michael Dino, and medical personnel to the city to help curtail the spread of Covid-19.
He was also thankful for the additional test kits and Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) donated to the city and for the quarantine and isolation facilities built by the Department of Public Works and Highways.
Meanwhile, Leonardia assured the president that “our core team at the anti-Covid emergency command center will continue to carry out the operational strategy of curb-contact-contain-care-connect”.
As of Tuesday 3 November, Bacolod has 25 new cases, 45 new recoveries and 7 new deaths.
The recorded active cases are 278, recovered cases 4,444, deaths 134, and total confirmed cases 4,856.