The Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) on Wednesday ordered the Criminal Investigation and Detection Group (PNP-CIDG) to investigate the “Flatten the Fear” event of the Concerned Doctors and Citizens of the Philippines (CDCPh) group for supposed violations of quarantine protocols.
Based on the report received by the DILG, most of the CDCPh members purposely did not wear face masks during the event “because they are already on prophylaxis and preventive treatment of COVID-19.’’
The report also noted the event seeks to end all community restrictions and lockdowns in the country despite the ongoing global pandemic.
DILG Secretary Eduardo M. Año said the Department of Health (DOH) has requested the probe with reports of violations of the prohibition on mass gathering, failure to wear face masks, and no physical distancing, among others.
While the campaign’s call to boost a person’s immunity system may have good intentions, Año stressed “their actions show otherwise as they allegedly violated the minimum health standards on the prohibition of mass gathering and mandatory wearing of face masks.’’
“Inutusan na po natin ang PNP-CIDG para masusing imbestigahan ang naturang mass gathering kung dapat ba silang managot sa kanilang paglabag sa mga alintuntunin sa panahon ng pandemya (I already ordered the PNP-CIDG to conduct a thorough investigation on the said mass gathering to determine if they should be made answerable for violating protocols in this time of the pandemic),’’Año said.
Año said the group’s violation of quarantine protocols in the midst of the pandemic is dangerous for them and their families even if the purpose is to assist the government in its fight against the virus.
The DILG Secretary said that the group’s call to end all restrictions at this critical time sends a wrong message to the public and undermines months of hard work by health authorities to flatten the curve and defeat the virus.
“We wish to remind them that we are not out of the woods yet and that community transmission is ongoing. While we have been able to lower our cases, we cannot be complacent and let down our guard since an outbreak may suddenly occur as what we have seen in many countries all over the world,” he added.
Año said that “56,097 active cases’’ remain in the Philippines, “so the Flatten the Fear campaign sends the wrong signal to the public to wantonly disregard the strict implementation of the minimum health standards which the World Health Organization (WHO) has asked all countries to implement.’’
He added that the group should have first conferred with the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) for guidance before “holding a mass gathering as this move undermines the work that has been done for many months by our frontliners.’’