By Jean Fernando Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez came out with an executive order prohibiting any form of discrimination against medical and non-medical frontliners and persons infected, under monitoring, or investigation due to the COVID-19 outbreak. Under the executive order, Olivarez warned that violation of the order by any individual shall warrant the imposition of criminal and administrative sanctions found in pertinent laws, ordinances, and rules and regulations. Parañaque City Mayor Edwin Olivarez (Mayor Edwin Olivarez FACEBOOK / MANILA BULLETIN) The mayor cited seven provisions in his EO that must be strictly followed and implemented in the city to avoid discriminations: denying access to public programs and services otherwise available to the public; refusal to admit or expulsion from public markets, supermarkets, groceries, bakeshops, convenience stores; denying entry or eviction from usual accommodation in any lodging house, apartment, motel, hotel, inn, dormitory, and other places of dwelling being rented out or offered to the public or for a fee; being given accommodations or services by reason of his/her being a person infected, under investigation, monitoring, or being a frontliner. The other provisions stated by Olivarez in his EO are: denying access or admission to medical and other health services, health insurance, or giving inferior accommodation or services; denying access to and/or use of establishments, facilities, utilities, transportation services that are open to the general public; slanderous or abusive statements, in person or online, which incite discrimination against a person infected, under investigation or monitoring or is a frontliner; subjecting said persons to any form of harassment or any threat of physical, mental, and verbal violence, intimidation or other threatening disruptive behavior; and any other act of discrimination that demeans, impairs, mars, reduces, nullifies the enjoyment or exercise of the human and legal rights of person infected, under investigation or monitoring, or a frontliner. Olivarez is calling for the full cooperation of city residents, asking them not to discriminate against infected persons, PUIs, PUMs, and frontliners. He also asked residents to just stay home and pray to help the city government in fighting COVID-19. “We are doing our best in fighting the spread of the virus in the city by continuing to conduct disinfection and sanitation. The delivery of family food packs is also being done every day. So please just stay home and pray end the pandemic affecting our country,” Olivarez told the city residents.