DILG names Legazpi mayor anti-Covid ambassador
By Rhaydz B. Barcia
The Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG) has designated Legazpi City Mayor Noel Rosal as regional ambassador of anti-Covid-19 program.
Rosal’s designation is in recognition of the mayor’s best implementation of programs to fight the spread of the coronavirus disease (Covid-19) despite the series of natural calamities in the region.
Rosal is the sole local chief executive in Bicol who was designated by the DILG as ambassador of the government’s “Bida ang May Disiplina: Solusyon sa COVID-19” campaign. He is credited for showing remarkable efforts to ensure the safety of his constituents during the pandemic.
In Memorandum Circular No.2020-170 dated Dec. 16, 2020, lawyer Anthony C. Nuyda, DILG Bicol director, informed all local government units (LGUs) in the region about the the designation of Rosal as “Ambassador of the BIDA and may Disiplina: Solusyon sa Covid-19.”
The Department of Health (DOH) launched its BIDA campaign to fight the transmission of Covid-19 in the country.
The DOH’s BIDA Solusyon sa COVID-19 Campaign encourages the public to regularly adopt the minimum health standards as a behavioral lifestyle through the new normal to cut down the transmission of Covid-19.
Rosal is among the 12 mayors in the country along with six governors identified by DILG as BIDA ambassadors of the country.
Rosal, concurrent chairman of the Regional Development Council (RDC), enforced the border lockdown and strictly imposed the safety protocols for all incoming visitors in the region’s capital even during the series of typhoons.
Rosal implemented a stricter policy for anti-Covid-19 measures in the city in an effort to prevent the spread of the virus specifically in the evacuation of the residents during the series of typhoons that battered Legazpi City.
“To inspire all of us, all our efforts were recognized. Thank you for your cooperation. Let us continue our vigilance and alertness,” Rosal said.
He urged the public to continue to observe safety protocols and follow quarantine requirements for those coming outside the Bicol region.
“Keep observing the health protocols. We request everyone, especially those who have just arrived from outside the Bicol region, to cooperate and strictly follow the quarantine requirements. In light of the new virus strain, these will be the keys to our safety, as well as in preventing community infection,” he said.
From March 2020 to Jan. 5, 2021, the DOH recorded 151 deaths due to Covid-19 and 3,703 cumulative cases in the region.
Among the six provinces of Bicol, Camarines Sur has the highest cases with 978 followed by Masbate 486; Albay, 470; Sorsogon, 456; Camarines Norte, 151; and Catanduanes with 130. Among the two big cities of Bicol, Naga has the highest cases with 618 and Legazpi with 409.