RESIDENTS of Bagong Kaunlaran Compound in Paso de Blas, Valenzuela continue to receive relief goods from the local government unit (LGU) to ensure that they will not leave their houses to buy basic essentials while under the community lockdown until August 9.
Apart from food packs, they are also provided with hygiene kits and snacks for children on five-day intervals.
Through the City Social Welfare and Development Office, the LGU has so far delivered the second batch of food ration to 435 families.
Likewise, the residents were given 450 packs of canned goods from First District Rep. Weslie T. Gatchalian and fresh vegetables from Vice Mayor Lorie Natividad-Borja.
Valenzuela City Mayor Rexlon Gatchalian ordered the two-week quarantine of the community, which is home to 530 families and 1,342 individuals.
The lockdown started last July 25 after random Covid-19 swab testing among residents yielded 25 percent to 50 percent positive cases. Of the initial 453 individuals tested, 106 were confirmed positive.
Last July 29, the local chief executive gave a tour of the locked down community to the team from the Inter-Agency Task Force on Emerging Infectious (IATF) Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and Deputy Chief Implementer of the IATF’s National Action Plan Against Covid-19 Secretary Vince Dizon.
The mayor visited again Bagong Kaunlaran the following day to personally see the condition of the families and frontliners deployed there. He was elated to see residents strictly following the directive to stay home while still wearing masks.
Gatchalian went to each house to thank the residents for their cooperation and encouraged them to be patient until the end of lockdown’s effectivity, while reassuring them of the LGU’s constant support and assistance.
According to the police and rescue personnel on duty, no medical emergency has so far been recorded, and not a single violator has been apprehended in the community.
“From Barangay Paso de Blas, we, in the Barangay Council, wholeheartedly thank Mayor Gatchalian and the Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Valenzuela for the assistance they provide to my constituents. Also, the police and rescue teams, they don’t neglect us since they are very watchful of us. No one enters or goes out, and they ensure the safety of our people,” Barangay Captain Lucy Nolasco said in Filipino.
While on lockdown is in place, a “padala station” is open to receive food and other supplies brought by friends and/or family for the Bagong Kaunlaran residents.
A Medical Command Post with a hotline (0908-4099128) has been set up in the compound’s basketball court to address their health needs and concerns.
Eleven rescue personnel are posted to give assistance when needed, while 24 policemen are on 24-hour rotation duty to keep peace and order police in the area.