JUST DAYS after its arrival at Manila South Harbor after five-month deployment in the Middle East, strategic sealift vessel BRP Davao Del Sur (LD-602) will sail on Monday to transport 450 locally stranded individuals (LSIs) to the Visayas.
In a statement Sunday, Philippine Navy (PN) public affairs office chief Lt. Commander Maria Christina Roxas said these LSIs will be taken to the ports of Iloilo and Cebu after departing from Pier 13, Manila South Harbor.
"Prior to boarding LD-602, these LSIs underwent strict medical screening and Covid-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) rapid testing on June 21 in Pasay City, in coordination with the Armed Forces of the Philippines Health Service Command (AFPHSC) and assisted by the Chief Surgeon Navy personnel," Roxas said.
Meanwhile, PN flag-officer-in-command Vice Admiral Giovanni Carlo Bacordo said this latest humanitarian mission of BRP Davao Del Sur is considered to "have the biggest number of LSIs transported in a single voyage by a Navy vessel so far."
The BRP Davao Del Sur and the BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PS-16) arrived in the Philippines last June 12 after a five-month deployment in the Middle East.
He also pledged to devote all PN personnel and assets in order to alleviate the sufferings of our countrymen during these trying times.
"Your Philippine Navy will continue to exert tremendous efforts in providing support to our fellow Filipinos who are at most risk of the challenges brought by this pandemic," Bacordo said.
Apart from transporting these LSIs, BRP Davao Del Sur will also transport 2,508 boxes of personal protective equipment (PPE) and medical supplies intended for the front-liners in the Visayas region.
These will be transported to the Office of Civil Defense hub in Cebu.
Six Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP) vehicles were utilized to transport the already processed LSIs from Villamor Golf Club in Pasay City to South Harbor, Manila.
Upon arrival, the LSIs were carefully guided to registration and body temperature checking site, while their baggage were carefully inspected before being loaded at the Navy vessel.
A shipboard briefing was conducted among the stranded individuals prior to proceeding to their billeting area.
Captain Homer Gonzales, BRP Davao Del Sur commanding officer, assured the ship is ready to travel and the passengers will be safe as long as they follow the do’s and don’ts of the vessel.
“It will be a 30-hour journey for our LSIs. We will ensure that it will be a safe and convenient travel for them,” he added. (By Priam Nepomuceno)
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