MANILA – DILG spokesperson and undersecretary Jonathan Malaya appealed to local chief executives not to charge high fees for issuing medical certificates to stranded individuals due to Covid-19 pandemic.
During a Laging Handa virtual press briefing on Saturday, May 23, Usec. Malaya pleaded to local government units in the country to be more retrospect and understanding of the plight of stranded individuals, mostly workers in big cities, by not requiring them to pay exorbitant fees for their medical certificate. Malaya made this statement because of reported incidents of LGUs charging up to Php 3,000 for medical certification, a requirement for them to secure a travel authority from the Philippine National Police (PNP) office to go home to their provinces.
“Kaya nga gustong umuwi na itong mga ito dahil wala na nga po silang pangtustos sa kanilang pang-araw-araw dahil nga po ay na-stranded sila” (That is why they wanted to go home because they cannot sustain their daily needs anymore since they are stranded), he said.
Since March, Sandigan News and Banat News have received reports of stranded workers and drivers in Metro Manila who could not go back to their provinces because of the lockdown. A public utility jeepney driver from Mindoro has to live in the garage of his operator. He and a few driver-companions from other provinces have to make do with handouts from their operators, who are similarly financially hard up.
The said certificate indicates that the individual is not a suspect, probable, or confirmed Covid-19 case and has undergone 14-day quarantine in line with the guidelines of the Department of Health.
Once the Medical Certificate is obtained, the stranded individual must present it to the nearest Police Station for the travel clearance of authority to gain entry to their destination, Malaya said. The police station or the local government unit will coordinate with the local government unit or police station of the receiving end for the details of the travel of the individual.
