Farmers, farmworkers, and fishermen have been included in the list of persons authorized to venture out of their residences during the Enhanced Community Quarantine (ECQ), the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) announced last week.
They are among the agribusiness and agricultural workers are the latest inclusions to the list updated by the Joint Task Force Coronavirus Shield on March 25, 2020.
In another piece of good news for abaca farmers especially in Catanduanes, the Department of Agriculture (DA) has categorized fibercrop production, enterprises, and related activities as agricultural/farming activities with unhampered operations.
Thus, activities relating to abaca fiber, abaca stripping, abaca stalks, fibercraft products, and others are considered necessary and should be allowed to continue to operate under the current state of public health emergency.
Last week, the Provincial Emerging and Re-Emerging Infectious Diseases Task Force also allowed abaca farmers to harvest and sell their fiber but only if the fiber is picked up at their barangays by the trader.
Aside from the three vital food producers, the others granted the privilege of going out of their homes are employees of agricultural supply stores or outlets, veterinarians and employees of veterinary clinics.
The same privilege to pass through checkpoints set up by the police and the Army has been extended previously to workers providing basic services, essential goods, utilities, and other authorized persons.
Here’s the full list:
Medical Services: All Department of Health (DOH) officials and staff; all health and service personnel stationed at LGU Health Facilities; all Philippine Red Cross vehicles bearing the PRC logo and staff with Red Cross IDs; Core staff from the WHO Country and Regional Offices; Doctors and their drivers; hospital staff and employees including janitors; medical professionals and other employees; and, private caregivers.
Funeral Services: Employees, the immediate family of the deceased, officiating priests, imam, pastors, and other religious ministers.
Emergency Responders: DILG 911 and DILG Emergency Operation Center (EOC) personnel; BFP, DRRMC, DSWD, BHERTs, and LGU officials.
Security Services: PNP. AFP, PCG, GJMP, NBI, OTS, BOC, BI, PPA, MMDA, and other law enforcement agency personnel; Company security officers and security guards; and force multipliers (barangay officials, barangay tanods.
Banks: bank employees, technical service support crew, ATM service provider crew, and armored vehicle crew.
Manufacturing Establishment employees: food, essential and hygiene products (soap and detergents, diapers, feminine hygiene products, tissues, wipes, toilet papers, and disinfectants), medicines and vitamins, and medical products such as PPEs, masks, gloves, and others.
Telecommunications: key officials and employees, employees of cable/internet service providers and third-party contractors.
Energy companies: electric power generation, transmission and distribution employees; exploration, coal operation and trading employees and delivery drivers; third-party contractors, petroleum tanker drivers, and gasoline attendants.
Water companies: key officials and employees, water delivery and refilling stations crew.
Sanitation: industrial, residential, hospital and toxic garbage/waste collectors and drivers.
Other Government Officials and their support staff (senators and congressmen with their chief of staff, department secretaries, USEC, ASEC, and Bureau Directors; Ombudsman and Deputy Ombudsman; Justices of the SC, CA, CTA, and Sandigan Bayan; Judges of the trial courts and prosecutors; and, local chief executives).
Media personalities including PCOO and its attached agencies, with unified ID cards issued by PCOO required starting March 27, 2020.
The others people in the list are employees of money transfer services, hypermarkets, supermarkets, groceries, convenience/sari-sari stores; vendors in public markets; pharmacists and employees of pharmacies/drugstores; staff and crew of food chain, restaurants, and carinderia engaged in delivery and take-out; delivery personnel of cargoes with or without load, with a maximum of 3 including the driver; logistics/warehouse employees; delivery services personnel of food, water, medicine, and other basic necessities;
Private individual (1 per household) availing the services of the mentioned establishments; government skeletal force of the Executive Branch; Capital Market personnel based on skeletal workforce; DOLE skeletal staff for Tulong Hanapbuhay sa Ating Disadvantaged/Displaced Workers (TUPAD);
Critical transportation facilities employees, embassy officials and limited staff, hotel employees and tenants who have existing long-term leases and booking accommodations as of March 17, 2020; distressed OFWs; outbound and inbound international passengers and driver; civil aviation-related services personnel; and, ship captain and crew;