MANILA – The national government’s support
for the Province of Sulu is one of the factors that allowed the provincial and
local government there to maintain its low COVID-19 cases and much improved
peace and order situation over the past five years.
In an interview
during the Network Briefing News today, September 14 hosted by Presidential
Communications Secretary Martin M. Andanar, Sulu Governor Abdusakur M. Tan
expressed his thanks to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte for the assistance of the
national government during this pandemic and the seamless implementation of the
vaccination rollout in the province.
“Maganda ang
pagbabakuna rito sa Sulu. In fact, dito sa Sulu nakapagpadala na rito ang
pamahalaan na pinamumunuan ni President Rodrigo Roa Duterte, mabilis at pinadalhan
kami ng 166,000 doses ng bakuna. [Vaccination is good here in Sulu. In fact,
the government led by President Rodrigo Roa Duterte has already sent us 166,000
doses of vaccines],” Gov. Tan shared.
In the latest
data of the provincial government, around 100,000 people are now vaccinated
against COVID-19. They are also eyeing to vaccinate teachers and school staff
as soon as possible.
“Ngayon, siguro
pupuntahan na namin yung mga [nasa] eskwelahan na puwede nang bakunahan ay
babakunahan na natin. Wala po tayong problema sa pagbabakuna at ang mga tao ay
receptive, di mo sila kailangang pilitin. [“Now, maybe we will go to those [in]
schools, that can already be vaccinated and we will vaccinate them. We don't
have any problems with vaccinations and people are receptive, you don't have to
force them],” he added.
Low COVID-19
cases
The Sulu governor
shared that as of now, there are 11 COVID-19 active cases in the province, he
cited a total of 684 cases since the start of the pandemic, while 24 of them
died due to complications from the deadly virus.
“Ang cases natin
ngayon ay 11 ang active cases natin dito. At 24 lamang ang namatay simula noong
umpisa pa ng pandemya. Sa total cases naman, mayroong 684 na confirmed cases
dito sa ating lalawigan. [We currently have 11 active cases here. And 24 have
died since the pandemic began. In total, there are 684 confirmed cases here in
our province],” he pointed out.
The vaccination
program in the province is continuing with the help of the Ministry of Health
and the Bangsamoro Inter-Agency Task Force (B-IATF) as there are remaining
66,000 doses of COVID-19 vaccines.
The provincial
government of Sulu is also eyeing to buy a COVID-19 testing machine to
fast-track swab test results while waiting for the machines that will be given
by the National Task Force Against COVID-19.
“Sabi ni
Secretary Galvez na padadalhan tayo rito ng testing machine for COVID-19 para
di na natin kailangang ipadala pa sa Zamboanga City para sa swab test.
[Secretary Galvez said that a testing machine for COVID-19 will be sent here so
that we do not have to send our swab tests to Zamboanga City to know the
results],” he said.
Improved Peace
and Order Situation, other Projects
Governor Tan also
thanked the national government for its proactive and decisive developments in
improving the peace and order situation in the province under the watch of
President Rodrigo Roa Duterte since July 2016.
“Kaya tayo
nagpapasalamat kay President Rodrigo Roa Duterte na itinayo nya rito ang 11th
Division Infantry Battalion ay mga Tausug ang nirecruit, malaking bagay iyan.
[We are grateful to President Rodrigo Roa Duterte that he ordered the
establishment of the 11th Division Infantry Battalion here. Tausugs were
recruited, that's a big thing],” he said.
He also recognized
the efforts of the police force there as the Philippine National Police
established the Sulu Training Center, Camp Kasim, Jolo, Sulu to train a new
breed of young police officers of the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim
Mindanao (BARMM).
Aside from that,
the national government also extended medical assistance to the province
through the establishment of two (2) Malasakit Centers in the Sulu Provincial
Hospital and in the recently opened Sulu Sanitarium.
Other projects
and programs to be implemented in Sulu are the Php 200-M project of the
national government for a new water system there and free-wifi access in the
central hubs through the Department of Information and Communications
Technology (DICT).
“Pasalamat tayo
kay President Duterte dahil sa situation natin ngayon. At masusustain natin
ito. [We thank President Duterte for our current situation. And we can sustain
it],” Gov. Tan said.
He also thanked
the Presidential Communications Operations Office, headed by Sec. Andanar, for
giving the opportunity to explain to the public the beauty and current
situation of Sulu Province.
“Sa inyo [Sec.]
Martin na binigyan nyo kami ng pagkakataon na masabi namin sa buong bansa at sa
buong mundo na mali ang perception nila about Sulu - ang ganda ng Sulu. [To you
[Sec.] Martin for giving us the opportunity to tell the whole country and the
whole world that their perception of Sulu is wrong - Sulu is in fact very
beautiful],” he concluded.
